Pokemon 2: In The Shadow Of Twilight
by FoxMcCloud7921
Summary: A new evil has emerged and now Ash, Dawn, and Brock must team up with old friends in order to defeat this new enemy. Note: This is NOT a sequel.
1. A New Evil And An Old Friend

Me – Well, now that my little break is done, LETS START ANOTHER STORY!

Pikachu and Pikette – ALRIGHT!

Me – This is going to have an interesting storyline, probably more darker than my last one, but it won't be rated rated M this time.

Pikette – Well thats good. So I'm guessing there'll still be some violence and such?

Me – Yep, you can expect that. Which reminds me, I do not own Pokemon and no real Pokemon were harmed during the making of this story.

Pikachu – Phew.

Me – Alright, let's get to the story now.

* * *

Chapter 1: A New Evil and An Old Friend

It was beautiful. Beautiful in a dark way. They say there is a world of light, a world of darkness, and the world of twilight which binds them together, keeping both at bay. For they say that light and darkness are two sides of a coin, one needs the other to survive. This was the world of darkness.

A great fortress stood high and mighty near an almost as mighty city. The people who lived here have and always will live in darkness. Some have grown up in it, and others have been banished here. And yet, despite what people on the outside would think, it was a marvelous city, with streets and buildings similar to our own. And yet, something still didn't feel right, you just couldn't quite feel all that comfortable.

In this mighty fortress sat a figure in a black robe. While he seemed intimidating, he was rather calm most of the time. He was the leader of this society in darkness and his name was Xanatos.

* * *

(A/N: It's that time already? Yep, first chapter and I'm already throwing something at ya. The name of the song is "Villains of a Sort," from KH 1 + 2, and I guess you wouldn't be surprised by that. Anyway, music's going to be rather different in this from what you're used to, but I know you'll enjoy it.)

* * *

*All of a sudden, seven figures appeared out of nowhere towards him. They quickly bowed towards the figure, all wearing the same black robes. Xanatos smiled. "Rise my friends, Zachariah, Alicia, Mathias, Jacques, Petrus, Andrius, and Henrik. There is much that needs to be done."

"What is our bidding, my lord?" Mathias said.

Xanatos rose from his chair and started walking towards them. "Too long have we been concealed in darkness," he said. "While those in the light gleefully enjoy themselves, we are here, getting by by only so much. It is time that we make those fools pay for what they have done to us."

"What are your orders?" Zachariah said.

Xanatos looked at him and smiled. "They are rather simple. The world of light does not shine as brightly as it used to. Greed and corruption have affected the hearts and minds of those who are good, while doing the same to the Pokemon, making them weak. Wipe out the entire planet, humans and Pokemon that stand by their side. And then, we can finally return to our original world, and darkness will finally overcome the light."

"But my lord, what about those that live in the wild?" Andrius said.

Xanatos was silent for a minute. "If they resist against you," he said, "Kill them as well. We will not let any live that try to stand against us."

The seven of them nodded and quickly disappeared. Xanatos stood there for a minute, before starting to walk to another part of the fortress. Walking into the next room, he nodded towards a man, who was his apprentice, motioning him to follow.

"Master," the apprentice said, who name was Ryszard, "How can we possibly conquer the world of light when there so many Pokemon?"

"Have you forgotten, my apprentice, about how even in the world of darkness, Pokemon breed as well?" Xanatos said. "The darkness in them makes them stronger, faster. They are capable of doing such a job."

They had entered the next room, which was mostly pitch black. However, it wasn't long before hundreds upon thousands of eyes opened, almost illuminating the room. They were all the same, a deep red color as dark as blood. Ryszard gasped in shock, realizing these were all Pokemon, and yet, they were different.

Xanatos smiled. "You see, while they mostly resemble regular Pokemon on the outside, their hearts inside are filled with darkness. But even so, they are not the same as the Pokemon in the light world. No, these Pokemon are what we refer to as Shadow Pokemon."

Ryszard was a little timid around these Pokemon, who looked ready to kill at any moment. He then looked to his master. "When will the invasion begin?" he said.

"Soon, my apprentice. Very soon."

* * *

In a different world, one connected to light and dark, the land was clear and joyful. The wild Pokemon scurried around in the open country as the sun shone in the bright sky. It was like the world of light, but there were mixed elements of light and dark, making this world the world of twilight.

Near the edge of a certain cliff, stood two familiar looking heroes. One was staring up into the blue sky and clouds, while the other was meditating on the ground, focusing his aura.

"Lucario," the man said. "Do you feel that?"

The familiar blue Pokemon kept his eyes closed but nodded. "There is a breeze in the air, but it's colder than what it's supposed to be." He opened his eyes and looked to the man. "Something is wrong, Aaron."

Sir Aaron nodded. "It's the darkness, coming from the dark realm. They must be planning something. I fear that the world we once lived in is in grave danger."

"Well, what can we possibly do?" Lucario said. "We can't go back now."

Aaron smiled at this. "Actually, you can Lucario," he said. "In fact, I've been told that is time for you to go back."

"Go back?" Lucario said, surprised by this. "But that's impossible. I had given up my life force to save the Tree of Beginning. There is no going back."

In answer of this statement, behind him a large amount of energy was starting to build up. He looked back with a gasp, surprised to what was happening. "Sir Aaron, what is going on!?" Lucario said.

"You're being sent back to the world you were born in, Lucario," Aaron said. "It's believed that you are among a few who can stop this evil."

"And are you coming with me?" Lucario said.

Aaron walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not this time, old friend," he said. "I've seen and done all that I could in my life. You, Lucario, have much more to experience in life, and more things to learn even though you've become much stronger."

"I understand," Lucario said, looking down. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Someday you will," Aaron said, giving Lucario a hug. "But once you return, you will not be able to come back here until... well you know."

"Then I guess hopefully I won't return too soon," Lucario said jokingly.

Aaron laughed at this. "I hope not as well," he said. "But there is one last thing I wanted to ask you."

"Of course," Lucario said.

"Do you really think it's him?" Aaron said. "The one that you had met."

Lucario smiled at this. "I believe so," he said. "His aura resembles yours in every way. I believe that he may be the one who can save us all."

"Maybe I'll get to meet him one day," Aaron said, smiling. He then looked to Lucario. "Farewell Lucario. Remember, we may be separated, but our bond can never be broken!"

Lucario nodded. "Farewell, Sir Aaron," he said before entering the portal and disappearing.

_"Be careful, Lucario," _Aaron thought. _"I just hope you're right about this person, the one you call Ash."_

_

* * *

_(A/N: Alright, we all know what this means now. Roll credits. Unfortunately, I'm starting to run out of good songs to use, but I decided to use the title theme from the 8th movie, which you probably know so well. Anyway, I mentioned before that music-wise, things are going to be a little different, and honestly, when I look at this storyline, this reminds me more of a Final Fantasy story than Pokemon, but I guess that's alright. Anyway, I'm kind of going off in a different direction so hopefully I do this well.)

**Pokemon 2**  
In The Shadow Of Twilight

* * *

Pikachu – Wow, this actually looks like it might be good.

Pikette – But what's with the title?

Me – I don't know, it was the best title I could find I guess.

Pikette – No, I mean the superscript.

Me – Oh, well obviously I needed to have the word Pokemon in it, but I didn't want to confuse people thinking it was a sequel to my other stories, so I put 2, even though now it didn't work, and no its not a sequel.

Pikette – So I noticed you have a lot of songs here at your disposal, mostly Kingdom Hearts songs.

Me – Yeah, so?

Pikette – I don't know, I just find it kind of weird you would pick songs from that franchise.

Pikachu - "sighing" And here we go.

Me – What's wrong with Kingdom Hearts?

Pikette – It's nothing... really. Um, oh yeah, I just realized I got to go do something. "leaves room"

Me – Umm, what was that about?

Pikachu – Well, you obviously know that Square Enix does all the FF and KH stuff right?

Me – Yeah.

Pikachu – Well, obviously we know Square Enix mostly does stuff for Sony, who we're rivals against, but she was a big fan of SMRPG. And once Square went over to Sony, she was pissed.

Pikette - "from outside the room" I wanted a sequel!

Me – You have got to be kidding me. Anyway, we better just end this now, so hopefully you enjoyed this first chapter, which was short yes, but hey, it's just an introduction.

FoxMcCloud7921


	2. Once Again, A New Adventure

Chapter 2: Once Again, A New Adventure

On their way to Jubilife City, we meet three familiar heroes as they continue their journey through the Sinnoh region.

"So why exactly are we heading back to Jubilife City?" Ash said to Dawn, who was looking in a magazine.

"Well I heard they have a new updated version of the Poketch," Dawn said, her attention still focused on the magazine. "And I just have to get it."

"You definitely like to keep yourself updated, don't you Dawn?" Brock said.

Dawn smiled. "It's always nice to stay up to date on things, especially with technology."

"Piplup!" the blue penguin Pokemon said, who was on her right shoulder.

Ash then turned to his companion on his shoulder. "Hey Pikachu, I bet with how big the city is, we'll find plenty of trainers to battle against."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said, raising a fist in the air.

"We should be able to see the city just over this hill," Brock said.

And sure enough, once they got to the top of the hill, they could see the large city, with its beautiful skyscrapers and many stores. It was quite a sight to see.

"Last one there's a rotten Eggsecute!" Ash yelled as he sprinted ahead of the other two.

Dawn grinned. "I don't think so Ash!" she said as she ran to catch up with him.

_"It just never gets old, does it?" _Brock thought, smiling as he ran to catch up with the other two. Once he was finally able to catch up with them, he saw that they were both out of breath.

"I think we'll consider this a tie," Ash said, breathing heavily.

"Sounds good to me," Dawn replied, breathing heavily as well.

After finally recovering, the trio continued on into the city. "I guess Jubilife City hasn't changed much since our last visit," Brock said.

"Yeah," Ash said. He then saw a sign on one of the buildings. "What's this?" he said, looking at what it said.

_Calling All Trainers And Coordinators!  
__Do you feel the need for some battling or in need of another Contest ribbon?  
Then sign up for the latest Jubilife City Pokemon Contest, officially open to both Trainers and Coordinators!_

_"_Pokemon Contest? Here?" Dawn said, confused. "I don't remember hearing anything about that."

"I guess they had just clarified that there would be one here," Brock said.

"So Dawn, you going to sign up for it?" Ash said.

"I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea," Dawn said. "I could use the ribbon after all. But what about you Ash? It said trainers could join as well."

"Well, it would give me some good practice for my next Gym battle," Ash said. He then looked to Pikachu. "Hey Pikachu, you feel like being part of a Contest battle?"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu said, nodding.

"Well, I guess I'm in as well," Ash said. "What about you Brock?"

"Nah, I think I'll sit this one out," the breeder said. "Besides its a lot more fun spectating."

"Now we just need to find where to register," Dawn said, as they continued walking.

"Hey! You there!" a voice said.

They looked to their right and saw three guys standing against one of the buildings. The one in the middle had blonde hair, while wearing a green jacket with matching sweatpants. The two guys beside him were a tad bit taller, the one on the left a bit wider, with a blue hoody and jeans, while the other was about the same size as the middle one with a black t-shirt and jeans.

"Are you Ash Ketchum?" the guy with the green jacket said.

"Yeah, that's me," Ash said.

The guy smiled. "You seem a bit... younger than I imagined," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ash said angrily.

"Nothing," the guy said. "Say, how about a battle? I'd like to be able to say how I beat the great Ash Ketchum."

"Alright, you're on then," Ash said, smirking.

"Hey, don't leave us out of this," the guy with the blue hoody said, while his other companion nodded.

"Then I guess we'll be joining you as well," Brock said, with Dawn nodding as well.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I guess this would be the point in time in the movies where they show all the credits and such while playing a song. Well, I definitely got a song for you. I feel kind of weird using this song since its from a different franchise but I don't care. I'm sure you all the song "His World" by Zebrahead, from the Sonic series. Yeah, yeah, you can say what you want but somehow the song seems to fit well. Besides, they can't sue me for anything.)

* * *

*The three guys quickly called out their Pokemon; Rampardos, Luxray, and Magmortar from left to right, while Ash chose Pikachu, Dawn chose Piplup, and Brock chose Croagunk.

Luxray quickly went after Pikachu with Thunder Fang, while Pikachu dodged and attacked with an Iron Tail, knocking Luxray back. Luxray, realizing how strong Pikachu was, started charging up a Charge Beam, electricity sparking out of his body. While he had a chance, Pikachu used Quick Attack and charged at Luxray, but he had already charged up his attack and quickly fired, hitting Pikachu head on, but the attack did not affect him as much.

Meanwhile, Piplup was facing against Rampardos. Rampardos quickly charged with a Headbutt, but Piplup struck back using BubbleBeam, which hit Rampardos in the head, knocking him back since he was weak to water-types. However, Rampardos countered with a Focus Punch, while Piplup used Bide to absorb the attack and blow Rampardos back.

While this was going on, Magmortar was having a heck of a battle against Croagunk. Magmortar was trying to use Fire Punch against him, but Croagunk was just too quick, dodging each attempt. Croagunk then countered by using Brick Break, hitting Magmortar square in the chin, knocking him back. Magmortar then launched a Hyper Beam, but Croagunk dodged it as well, hitting him then with a Poison Jab, knocking Magmortar out for good.

It was becoming a hard-fought battle between Rampardos and Piplup, seeing as they were both looking tired. Rampardos, realizing it was now or never, charged towards Piplup using Zen Headbutt, but Piplup then used Whirlpool, which swallowed up Rampardos and Piplup jumped into it using Peck, knocking him out as well.

It was now done to just Pikachu and Luxray. Luxray quickly lashed out with a Shock Wave, blue electricity coming out of him, but Pikachu fought back with a Thunderbolt, hitting Luxray's Shock Wave, and they both held firm for a couple of seconds before the thunderbolt went through and hit Luxray directly, knocking him out.

Once the battle was finally over, the three guys stared at their fallen Pokemon in shock. "Wow," the guy in green said. "I guess you weren't lying then." He then smiled. "Even so, good battle. My name is John by the way," he added, putting out his hand and shaking each of theirs.

"My name is Trey," the guy wearing blue said.

"And my name is Cole," the guy wearing black said.

"My name is Dawn," Dawn said. "From-"

"Dawn? From Twinleaf Town?" Trey said, interrupting her.

"That's right," Dawn said.

"Wait a minute, I recognize you now!" Trey said. "I saw you battle at the Wallace Cup! You see, I'm from Twinleaf Town as well. You were amazing in that last battle!"

"Oh, thanks," Dawn said, blushing slightly. "But wait, if you're from Twinleaf Town, how come I've never met you before?"

"That is a good question," Trey said. "But hey, it's always nice to see people from home. Maybe we'll end up facing each other in the contest."

"You mean that...?" Dawn asked.

"Yep, Trey here is a Pokemon Coordinator just like yourself," John said. "But even though Cole and I are both just trainers, we're going to be joining that Contest as well."

"It was nice to be able to get some training in," Cole said.

"Cool, I'm registering as well," Ash said. "Maybe we might end up battling each other again, John. That Luxray of yours is sure powerful."

"Maybe so," John said. "Well, we need to go take care of some things. Hopefully we'll meet again in a couple of days." And with that, the three trainers left.

"Wow, if those three are really going to be in the Contest, they'll be tough to beat," Ash said.

"Tell me about it," Dawn said. "Trey's Rampardos may have had a disadvantage, but it still put up a good fight."

"Don't worry Dawn," Ash said, who reached out his hand in front of his face. "If we just stay confident through each match, there's no way either of us could lose."

"Right," Dawn said, who quickly grabbed his. "No need to worry."

"Well, it's starting to get dark," Brock said. "Perhaps we should try finding the Pokemon Center."

"Yeah," Ash said. "You're going to have to be 100% once the Contest begins, Pikachu."

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

Once Ash and Dawn got registered, they headed towards the Pokemon Center, which was loaded with trainers anticipating the upcoming Contest.

"Wow, it looks like there's going to be a whole lot of people at the Arena," Dawn said.

"Which means that this Contest is going to be rather big," Brock said. "But then again, we _are _in Jubilife City after all."

Once they got settled in, they went to the cafeteria to get some dinner, and about two hours decided to go to bed, since they would spend the next day training. While Ash and Brock had fallen asleep, Dawn was still awake, looking up at the ceiling.

Truth was, she was having trouble sleeping, and not just tonight but the last two days. She looked over to Ash, who was asleep with Pikachu on his lap. Dawn smiled at this.

"Piplup?" She looked and saw her blue companion staring at her.

"Oh, hey Piplup," Dawn said quietly. "Don't worry, I'm just having some trouble sleeping thats all?"

"Pip piplup?" Piplup said, looking from Ash to her.

"What? No, I wasn't staring at Ash," Dawn said, trying to cover herself up. "I was just glancing at Pikachu."

Piplup had a smirk on his face, realizing the truth. "Piplup pip?"

"What!?" Dawn said, almost too loudly. " Me like Ash? Why would you think something like that?"

Piplup just gave her a look that said, _"I can obviously tell you're lying."_

Dawn sighed. "Alright, maybe I do have feelings for him," she said. "I mean, I want to tell him soon, but I'm just worried that he may not be feeling the same way." She then thought back to the experiences they each had. "I could be wrong, and that maybe he's hiding them as well, but I don't know how much longer we'll end up being together, so I'll have to tell him sooner or later unless he tells me first." She fell back onto her pillow with a smile on her face. "I have to admit, it seems rather fitting that we would get together, since we seem so alike. We've both encountered a legendary Pokemon, we both own a electric Pokemon, heck we even both had Pokemon that wouldn't listen to us, although I really wish I could get Mamoswine to listen to me," she added, sighing. "Oh well, somehow Ash was able to overcome that problem and I will as well." She then turned back to Piplup. "Thanks for hearing me out, Piplup. Now we had better get to bed, we got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Piplup," Piplup said, agreeing as they both quickly fell asleep.

* * *

(A/N: Well, looks like Dawn already confessed her love to Ash. Well not to him directly, but more to Piplup. Anyway, I would've had this chapter up earlier but I got a crazy schedule ahead of me so don't expect instant updates as much, unless something happens. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next will have some more action.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	3. A Tale Of Two Coordinators

(A/N: Oh yeah, I forgot to mention one little thing, and that has to do with the age thing, which kind of bothers me a bit. Anyway, here's how I perceive it:

Ash – 17

Dawn – 16

Brock – 18

May – 17

Drew – 17

Well, that's for the characters I mentioned so far, but honestly, I feel that despite what's said, they're older than they look. Just wanted to clear that up.)

* * *

Chapter 3: A Tale Of Two Coordinators

On the other side of Sinnoh, in the countryside near Jubilife City, two familiar coordinators were walking side-by-side towards the large city.

"Drew!? Can't we take a small break? I'm already exhausted!" the female coordinator said, who's name was May. Well, at one point they were.

Drew smiled while looking back to her. "But we just left only about an hour ago," he said calmly, stopping. "Besides, you wouldn't want to miss out registering for the contest."

"Hey, it's not my fault that they decided to announce the contest two days before it started," May said, crossing her arms. "And it'll be starting tomorrow."

"Right, more of a reason for us to keep going," Drew said as he started to walk ahead one again.

May sighed. "This just never gets old does it?" she said as she caught up with Drew.

After May had returned back to Johto, she had encountered Drew at one of the recent contests. After it had ended, Drew had asked May if she wanted to join him, and for some reason, May just couldn't say no.

"I've been wondering Drew," she said. "Why exactly did you ask me to come with you?"

Drew's heart almost stopped. He had hoped she wouldn't ask him that, but now it was too late. "Well, after traveling alone for quite some time, I thought maybe it would be nice to have a companion along," he said, making it all up in his head and blushing slightly.

May smiled when she noticed how Drew was blushing and decided to keep going. "Any other reason?" she said, smirking at him.

Drew sighed, realizing he would have to tell her now. He stopped and looked at her. "Well, perhaps," he said, taking her hand, making her blush then. "We've known each other for awhile, and well, truth is up to now I've had... certain feelings for you."

May looked away and smiled, while blushing even more. "Really? Well, it's kind of funny," she said, looking back at him. "Because I was having those same feelings for you for awhile as well." Their lips were almost close to touching until something quickly caught their eyes.

Almost like a blur, they were quickly surrounded by a number of Pokemon, six unless there were more nearby. But these Pokemon didn't look like the ones the two were used to seeing. "What are they?" Drew said. "They don't look like regular Pokemon to me."

"Drew, I'm scared," May said, looking into their red eyes, starting to make her shake.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, so pretty much in this story I have a theme for each character, well each main character, and well, it wasn't easy but I was able to find songs suitable, despite being from different franchises but oh well. Anyway, this theme here is "Dash" from Star Fox Command, and I think it goes well with Drew's character.)

* * *

"Don't worry May, I'll take care of this," Drew said, taking out two Pokeballs. "Come on out Absol and Flygon!" *There were two flashes of light and Absol and Flygon appeared, ready for battle. "Alright Absol, use Water Pulse, and Flygon use Dragon Breath!" Facing on different sides, Absol developed a Water Pulse attack, and Flygon shot out a beam of energy at the enemy Pokemon, but they were able to dodge the attacks. _"They're quicker than I thought," _Drew thought. He then smiled. _"But I have an idea." _"Alright Flygon, use Sandstorm and then use Steel Wing. Absol, you use Razor Wind after Sandstorm takes affect."

Both Pokemon nodded, Flygon then used Sandstorm to blind all the other Pokemon and then came through and used Steel Wing. Then Absol attacked with Razor Wind, hitting the others that remained. Once the cloud had disappeared, all the Pokemon were on the ground, and soon disappeared in a flash of dark energy.

"That... was strange," May said. "What were they and why did they attack us?"

"I'm not sure," Drew said, calling back Absol and Flygon. He then noticed that May still had her arm around his. "Um, May?" he said. "You can let go of my arm now."

May, noticing that she was still holding his arm, quickly let go, blushing once more. "Sorry," she said. "So..." she said, trying to change the subject. "How far are we from Jubilife City now?"

"At this rate, we should be able to get there around the evening hours," Drew said.

They then continued walking but there was something still on May's mind. "Drew, how come when those Pokemon showed up you didn't let me battle aside you?"

Once again, Drew went into panic mode. May noticed this and smiled but said nothing. However, Drew then responded with a cool tone saying, "Well I had to have my Pokemon trained for the Contest."

May smiled while shaking her head. _"I know what Drew really thinks, he's just too afraid to admit it just yet. Oh well, I'll get to him eventually."_

_

* * *

_Ash and Dawn had woken up extra early to prepare for the Contest that would be occurring tomorrow. They quickly ate, as well as their Pokemon, in the cafeteria and then once they were done, they went outside of the Pokemon Center to an open area where they could train.

"So Ash, who are you planning on using for the appeal round?" Dawn said.

"Well, I guess I would have to use Buizel since he seems to have the experience," Ash said. "But after that, it'll be down to Pikachu then, right buddy?" he said to his companion.

"Pika pika," Pikachu said.

"I think I'll use Buneary again for the appeal round," Dawn said. "Probably shouldn't use her for battling since if we ended up battling she might not want to battle Pikachu," she added, laughing.

Ash laughed as well as Pikachu let out a sigh. "Yeah, then we probably would be both disqualified then. So I guess that means you're going to use Ambipom then?"

"Probably," Dawn said, "I was thinking maybe having Pachirisu do another one but just to be safe I think I'll stick with Ambipom."

Once they found themselves an open area, they called out both Buizel and Buneary. "Alright Buizel, use Water Pulse!" Buizel responded by creating a ball of pure energy and throwing it up in the air. "Now use Water Gun!" Buizel shot a stream of water at the ball, causing it to explode and turn into mist. "Now finish it with Sonic Boom!" Buizel's tail began to glow and sounding set a wave of energy toward the mist, spreading it all around.

Dawn laughed while getting some of the mist. "Wow Ash, I never seen that technique before."

Ash chuckled. "To be honest, I just came up with it this morning. Looks like we were able to pull it off, huh Buizel?"

"Bui bui," Buizel said, smiling.

"Alright Buneary, it's our turn!" Dawn said. "Start off with Bounce!" Buneary then flew straight into the air. "Now use Ice Beam!" While in the air, Buneary shot a beam of ice towards the ground, turning it into a skating rink. Buneary then landed on her ears and started skating around like a professional and even pulled in a couple spins. "Now let's finish it off with Dizzy Punch!" Buneary went into the air again, the tips of her ears glowing and hit the shattering the ice in a beautiful display.

"Wow, that must be a new one as well," Ash said.

"Well actually, Buneary and I had come up with the strategy a couple of days ago," Dawn said. "Looks like it might work out, won't it Buneary?"

"Bun bun buneary!" Buneary said.

After another hour of practicing for the appeal round, Ash and Dawn both decided to stop for now. "It's still pretty early," Ash said. "Most likely Brock is still sleeping. Say, since we have some time, why don't we go into the city and check it out?"

Dawn laughed. "If I didn't know better Ash, it almost sounds like you're asking me out on a date."

Ash then blushed while waving his hands in front of him. "No, it's not like that, I just thought we could hang out together, just the two of us." He then kicked himself mentally, realizing that last part pretty much sounded like a date.

Dawn started laughing like crazy at Ash's reaction. "Oh Ash, I'm just kidding," she said. "But yes, I think that would be a great idea."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, I pretty much just found this song and I have to admit, I like it a lot, plus it's a Pokemon song so there you go. Anyway, the name of the song is "Route 209," as most Pokemon fans would know from D/P/P. But the version here is the one from Brawl, because obviously I think its the best version for this scene.)

* * *

*After leaving a note for Brock telling him where they were, the two made their way into the downtown part of the city, checking out some of the stores they passed by, including one where they were selling dresses for the Contest, and knowing Dawn, she just had to find herself a new one. While Dawn tried on one after the other after the other; Ash, Pikachu, and Piplup sat near one of the dressing rooms, giving her their opinions of what they thought of each dress. Finally, Dawn was able to find a dress that seemed to please her well enough.

Once she had come out of the dressing room, the three of them were completely stunned. The dress she was wearing was blue mostly all over, matching the color of her hair, and the bottom part having a hint of violet. "So Ash, what do you think?" Dawn said, doing a twirl around.

Of the three, Ash couldn't say anything but have a look of surprise on his face. "Well... I think it's umm... rather umm..."

Dawn laughed at this. "I think I'll take that as a yes," she said. She then looked at herself in the mirror. "I like this one as well, it just seems to..."

"It brings out the color in your eyes," Ash said, suddenly surprised how he was able to say that. Still, it was true, but then again, Dawn just looked absolutely beautiful in it, no matter what she thought.

Dawn smiled, and was also blushing. "Thanks Ash. Yes, I think this one will do just nicely." Once she got back into her regular clothes, she went up to the counter and paid for it, while the storekeeper kept it for her, telling her that she could pick up tomorrow before the Contest.

Once they left the store, they kept exploring the city until Dawn noticed a nearby arcade, but it wasn't the arcade she was suddenly interested in, but the one game the arcade had. "Oh Ash, why don't we check out the arcade?" she said, suddenly excited.

"Uh, sure," Ash said. He didn't know that Dawn was so interested in arcade games. However, it was only one particular game she was wanting to play. Before them stood a infamous DDR machine.

"What do you say Ash?" Dawn said, glancing over to him. "Just for fun?"

Ash smiled. "Sure, why not?" he said. After getting some tokens, he put them into the machine and started the game. While Ash chose Light, since he didn't play it as much, Dawn chose heavy mode. Ash looked to her in surprise. "Dawn, you're choosing Heavy?"

Dawn looked to him and smiled. "Back when I was a little girl, I used to be a champ when it came to DDR. I just want to see if I still have it in me."

* * *

(A/N: Wait a minute, since when do they have DDR in... oh, right. Anyway, for some reason I kept hearing things on how apparently Dawn is awesome at DDR. Well, despite the fact that I doubt thats what they would call it in Pokemon, I decided to put this in. As for the songs, instead of just listing them out here, I'll just put them out one at a time.)

* * *

Once they got to the list of songs, Dawn let Ash choose first. Ash decided it was best to do a somewhat fast song first instead of a insanely fast song. The first song he chose was "Waka Laka." Dawn almost screamed when he chose the song. "This is one of my favorite songs!" Dawn said, right before the song started.

Luckily for Ash, the song wasn't nearly that bad, even though he had an easier difficulty than Dawn. While he was able to hit mostly every step, he saw that Dawn had a bigger flurry of steps, and yet, she still had yet to miss one step.

"I seriously don't understand human technology sometimes," Piplup said to Pikachu in their native language as they both watched Ash and Dawn play.

"Trust me, you get used to it eventually," Pikachu said.

After the song was over, Ash was able to land about 91% of his steps, while Dawn got a perfect 100% without even breaking a sweat. "Wow Dawn, I guess you weren't kidding about that then," Ash said.

Dawn giggled. "Oh please, that was nothing. Anyway, it's my pick now." And unfortunately, she ended up picking a faster song, to Ash's dismay. The song was "Cartoon Heroes Speed Mix (?)" (A/N: I know, how appropriate XD) by Aquas.

Of course, the song ended up starting fast, already putting Ash to the test. Of course, he ended up missing more steps this time and was starting to feel exhausted already. And to no surprise, Dawn wasn't having much of a problem while still hitting every step. It seemed that she hadn't lost a step all these years.

After the song finally ended, she noticed how Ash was leaning against the machine, breathing heavily. "Dawn," he said between breaths. "I think you made your point clear now."

Dawn almost burst out laughing. "Oh Ash," she said. "Don't worry, I'll let you pick the last one."

"Good, I don't think I can do another song like that," Ash said. He then picked the last song, "Ecstasy," which luckily was a somewhat slower song. Still, he was rather exhausted and could barely pull all most of the steps. Finally, once the last song was done, the game tallied up their scores and gave both their grades, Dawn getting an A, and Ash getting a C.

"A C!? Ash said, almost angrily. "If it wasn't for that song I would've easily gotten a B."

"Don't worry about it Ash," Dawn said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's just a game you know."

"Yeah, I know," Ash said, smiling. 'Well, I guess I needed the exercise anyway."

"Yeah, especially for what will be going on tomorrow," Dawn said.

"Well hey, let's head back to the Pokemon Center and see if Brock's woken up yet," Ash said.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Dawn said.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, another chapter done. I know, not a lot of action in this one and I realized I said there would be some in this, so I apologize, but next one _will _and I can assure you that. Anyway, as for DDR, well you know how Japanese people are, and they just love techno apparently, I mean I do as well but it depends. So yeah, I guess thats about it, other than you know now there's going to be ContestShipping and PearlShipping moments in this story, although it won't quite go the way you expect it at first, at least for one of them.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	4. Jubilife City Under Attack

(A/N: Okay, I made a little mistake last chapter, even though I ended up changing it. I accidentally put AdvanceShipping when I meant _Contest_Shipping. Yeah, I'm not that twisted, but hopefully that clears everything up.)

* * *

Chapter 4: Jubilife City Under Attack

After about two hours, May and Drew still found themselves walking near in the forest area of Sinnoh. "Uh Drew, shouldn't we have gotten to the city by now?" May asked.

"I thought we would be there by now," Drew said. "Maybe we're just a little off from where we're supposed to be."

May closed her eyes as she clenched her fists, trying to keep her from shaking. She then grabbed Drew by the collar, fire in her eyes. "ARE YOU SAYING WE'RE LOST!?" she yelled right into his face.

"Well... possibly," Drew said, suddenly scared by May's reaction.

May then let go of him and fell to her knees, feeling defeated. "Now we're never going to make it to the concert," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "And I only needed one more ribbon for the Grand Festival."

Drew watched her crying and suddenly felt ashamed. If he had known where to go, they would've already been registered. He then knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "May, I'm sorry," he said. "This is all my fault, and if we aren't able to make it to the concert, then I'll make it up to you then."

May smiled, while wiping away her tears. "Oh Drew, don't worry about it," she said, taking his hand into hers. "I'm sorry that I lashed out like that. Besides, I'm sure there are plenty of other contests back in Johto."

"True," Drew said, both of them standing up, their hands still interlocked, but neither one of them really noticed. "So what are we going to do then if we don't make it?"

"Well, we may not be able to participate, but we can still watch it. That way we could learn each person's strategies," May said with a wink.

Drew laughed. "I like the way you think, May," he said. They then continued walking. "So, you think Ash and his friends will be there as well?"

May smiled. "I wouldn't doubt it. I'd like to see how Dawn is since we last battled."

"Oh yeah, I remember that battle, at the Wallace Cup. Too bad Dawn got the slight upper hand," Drew said jokingly.

"Very funny," May said sarcastically. "I won't let your words get to me this time, Drew. I've changed a lot since I left Kanto."

"You have," Drew said. "Seems like we've become equals now. I mean, you have beaten me a couple of times now."

"Yeah, and you've beaten me a couple of times as well," May said. "We both need one more ribbon for the festival."

"Luckily the festival isn't for another month and a half," Drew said. "Then I would think we would be in trouble then."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, I was planning on doing this later, but change of plans I guess. Anyway, I kind of hate finding songs that go well with a certain scene but the title doesn't match up at all. Oh well, the song I have here is called "The Afternoon Streets," from KH2. Oh yeah, for those who haven't read my other stories, the * shows where to play the song, I guess I should've explained that before but oh well.)

* * *

Soon, it was starting to get dark and the two found a spot to make camp. Once they were able to get a fire going, they ate silently. It wasn't until afterward when they were sitting on the ground next to each other by the fire.

*"You know, Drew, I never properly thanked you from before," May said, blushing slightly.

"Oh," Drew said, who started blushing as well. "Don't worry, it's fine. I was just protecting you thats all."

"Oh, so you think I couldn't protect myself?" May said, smiling.

"No, I know you could've handled it. I was just... doing what all guys should do," Drew said.

"And what would that be?" May said, making him go on.

"Well, I would always protect my friends... and the ones I love," Drew said.

May looked down, blushing even redder. "Is there something you're trying to tell me Drew?" she asked, looking back at him. She then realized how close they were now.

"Perhaps," Drew said. He looked into her eyes as he drew in closer. "Is there something you're trying to tell _me_?"

"Yes..." May said, drawing in closer and then their lips met. Drew put his hands on her face as she put her arms around his neck. Their kissing then became more intense as Drew inserted his tongue into May's mouth, surprising her at first, but she quickly responded by doing the same.

After about another minute, they broke the kiss and looked at each other while gasping for breath. "I guess we just became more than rivals, huh?" Drew said.

"Yep, I guess you're right," May said as she placed her head on Drew's shoulder. Drew then proceeded to put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him.

"May, no matter what happens, I'll always look after you, always," Drew said.

"I know you will," May said, as Drew kissed her on the forehead, and they stared into the fire that kept them warm for the night.

* * *

(A/N: Just so everyone knows, there's a bit of a time difference between these two scenes so now this scene takes place earlier in the day.)

* * *

Once Ash and Dawn got back to the Pokemon Center, they saw that Brock had already woken up. "I figured you two would get up earlier to train," Brock said, meeting them in the cafeteria.

"Well, Buizel and Buneary weren't the only ones who got some training in," Dawn said, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Ash said, trying to hide back a smile. "So, what are the plans for today?"

"Well, I know sometime you two might want to get in some last-minute training before tomorrow," Brock said, "But other than that, I don't think there really are any plans."

"Well, we could always go around and check to see if there's anything going on," Dawn suggested.

"Good idea," Ash said.

They then left the Pokemon Center and went through the city. Soon, they noticed three familiar trainers. "Alright Luxray, use Iron Tail!" John said.

"Use Zen Headbutt, Rampardos!" Trey said.

The two Pokemon connected in the middle of the field and were both blown back, seeing as they were equally matched. However, neither of them seemed to take any damage.

"What do you say Trey, that enough for now?" John said.

"Yeah, I think we'll work more on training later on," Trey said, as they both called back their Pokemon.

"Oh hey Ash," John said. "Sorry that you just missed the show."

"Hey John," Ash said. "Getting in some training I see."

"Yep," John said. "We need to be as fully prepared as we can be for tomorrow."

"Hey Dawn," Trey said, walking up to her. "What do you think of my Rampardos?"

"Oh, hey Trey," Dawn said. "Your Rampardos sure looks strong. I can see it's going to be tough to beat."

"Oh, you're too kind Dawn," Trey said. "But you're going to be a strong opponent as well." He then put an arm around her. "Imagine us in the final round. Dawn and Trey, both from Twinleaf Town, going at it. It'll be the match of the year. My Rampardos against your... um...?"

"Ambipom," Dawn said, smiling sheepishly while a sweatdrop appeared on her head.

"Right," Trey said. "My Rampardos against your incredible Ambipom. All from Twinleaf Town would die to see us battle against each other!"

Then suddenly, John walked and grabbed Trey by the ear, dragging him back. "Alright lover boy, how about you wait until we actually start the contest?"

The three of them laughed at this. Ash remembered the same kind of thing happening with May when he was traveling with her, but even then and now, it still didn't bother him. "Wait, so where's Cole?"

John chuckled. "He's over by the fountain with Magmortar." And just like he said, Cole and his Pokemon were at the fountain, both sitting cross-legged on the ground and had their eyes closed. "They're meditating, you see," John explained. "A couple of weeks ago Cole read this article stating that meditating helps strengthen the bond between a trainer and his Pokemon."

"Meditating, huh?" Brock said. "I would've thought trainers who were specified with Psychic Pokemon only did that."

"Nah, Cole thinks that you can communicate with any type of Pokemon between minds," Trey said. "Personally, John and I have full trust in our Pokemon, which strengthens our bond."

"That's the same for me and my Pokemon, right Pikachu?" Ash said, looking at his faithful companion.

"Pikapi," Pikachu said.

"Yeah," Dawn said. "The reason for my success is the bond I share for all my Pokemon."

"Piplup!" Piplup said, pumping a fist.

"Hey, it's always nice to find a new technique," Cole said, he and Magmortar walking up to them. "Just remember, if thats the technique you all use, that can either give me an advantage or disadvantage."

"I guess we'll just have to see once we all get past the first round," John said.

"How exactly is this Contest set up?" Brock said.

"From what we've heard, there'll be about sixty-four trainers, split up into four brackets," Trey said. "After the appeal round, half of the trainers move on, and then it becomes regular contest battles, going from thirty-two, to sixteen, eight, until the final four and then the final round. In other words, it's going to be at least a two-day contest."

"Wow, sixty-four to thirty-two," Dawn said. "That means you have a fifty-fifty chance of making it through."

"Hey," Ash said, putting a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "As long as you perform well, you won't have a problem making it through. Besides, that technique you're using should please the judges."

Dawn could feel her cheeks starting to glow red as he had placed his hand on her arm, but she quickly smiled and said, "You're right Ash. No need to worry."

"Hey, since we're all here, why don't you three come check out where we live?" John said.

"You three aren't staying at the Pokemon Center?" Brock said.

John smiled. "Oh no. You see, my parents live here in Jubilife City, and whenever I come by I visit them. Trey and Cole end up staying over a lot."

"We're practically brothers," Trey said, grinning.

"Well sure why not?" Ash said.

The three trainers led the way, and while Ash, Dawn, and Brock thought it would be just a regular house, they were sadly. They were stunned as they were walking towards a rather large mansion located in the city.

"Wow John," Dawn said. "Your parents live _here_?

"Yep," Cole said. "He's a rich boy."

John chuckled hesitantly while putting his hand behind his head. "Well, I don't like to show off." Once they got to the front door, they went inside. "Mom? Are you home?" John said.

"Oh John, you brought guests!" a woman said, most likely his mother, who was coming down the stairs. The house was even bigger on the inside. "It's always nice for you to bring home more friends."

Trey and Cole both chuckled, but John glared at them. "Of course mom. This is Ash, Dawn, and Brock."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss..." Ash said.

"Just call me Diane," John's mother said.

"You're home is so beautiful," Dawn said.

"Why thank you, Dawn," Diane said. "You see, my husband works for the Poketch company, which is one of the biggest products you see nowadays. As you can see, he sure makes his pay worth there. So, will you be staying for dinner?"

"Sure!" the three of them said.

Once dinner was ready after about an hour and two, the group sat together in a gorgeous-looking dining room. "So John, I've noticed you three have yet to show the rest of your Pokemon," Ash said.

"Well, normally we would but since there's the chance we might end up battling each other, we like to keep the element of surprise," John said.

"Oh John, you've been doing that for years now," Diane said. "It wouldn't hurt just to let them see your Pokemon."

"Sorry Mom, but we feel that its a good strategy," John said. He then looked to Ash. "No offense Ash, but we don't want any of our opponents to figure out a strategy against the Pokemon we have."

Dawn then had an idea. "Oh, it's such a shame," she said. "I would've really liked to see the Pokemon I might face against." She looked directly to Trey, giving him the puppy dog look.

Trey knew he couldn't say no to Dawn and her beauty. "I'll show you mine, but only because Dawn wanted me to!"

"Why does that not surprise me?" Cole muttered.

Trey let out his Pokemon, which consisted of his Rampardos, a Prinplup, a Pichu, and a Grovyle.

"Oh wow!" Dawn said. "You have a Prinplup? That's amazing!"

"Well," Trey said, blushing, "I started off with a Piplup as well and soon before either of us knew it, he had become a Prinplup."

Prinplup and Piplup looked at each other, just staring before shaking each other's flipper. Pikachu had gone over to meet Pichu, and the two instantly became friends just like that.

"Seeing how strong your Pikachu is, Ash, I want my Pichu to be able to grow just as strong," Trey added.

"I remember when I first got Luxray, who was just a Shinx at the time," John said. "It was a little rough at first, but we both made it through many Gym battles. Speaking of which, how many do you have, Ash?"

"I have six now," Ash said.

John smiled. "Likewise," he said. "Well, looks like there might end up being some competition between the two of us."

"Competition is my game," Ash said. "What about you Cole?"

"Right now, I only have five," Cole said. "We're not always together so the numbers aren't quite even."

"So Dawn, how many Contest Ribbons do you have?" Trey asked.

"I have four, meaning if I win this, I'll be able to enter the Grand Festival," Dawn said.

"I see. Well, if I win, the same will happen for me for I have four as well," Trey said.

"So I guess that means much is on the line for both of us," Dawn said, smirking.

"Exactly, so don't expect me to go easy on you," Trey replied.

All of a sudden, the power went off. After a few seconds, the power returned due to a generator. "Uh oh," Diane said. "Looks like the power's gone out."

However, they could hear strange noises coming from outside. "What's that?" Brock said.

"I don't know, but we had better check it out," John said. He looked to his mom. "Mom, stay here, we'll take care of this."

Diane smiled as the others left the house. _"He's growing up to become such a man," _she thought.

Once getting outside, they saw that one of the buildings had been hit by something, as smoke was coming out of it. They then saw other trainers stroll onto the streets. "What's going on?" Dawn said.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Ash said.

* * *

(A/N: Oof, CLIFFHANGER! I'm so horrible. Anyway, somehow I found this chapter kind of humorous, since it is Pokemon after all. Anyway, we'll find out what's going on next chapter so stay tuned.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	5. A Battle Of Light And Darkness

Chapter 5: A Battle of Light and Darkness

As the six of them went to over where the other trainers, they could that part of the building had been demolished from where the smoke was coming from. "What's going on?" Ash said.

"Something just attacked one of the buildings," one trainer said.

"Look! There's another one!" another trainer said. All of a sudden, they saw what looked like a hyper beam aimed towards another building, taking a chunk out of it.

"Where are they coming from!?"

"I can't tell where they are!"

"We got to get out of here!"

Chaos erupted in the streets as trainers running in every direction, trying to get away from the non-visible attackers. Soon, the police showed up, trying to calm everyone down and sort out the problem. All of a sudden, a trainer looked down the street and quickly said, "Look! Over there!"

Everyone looked down the street, and something coming their way. Correction, make that some _things_. At first, they were hard to see, but as they got closer, they noticed the red glowing eyes. They were Pokemon, and yet, they didn't seem like Pokemon. Finally, once they got near, they all stopped at once, staring right at the trainers.

"What are they?" Dawn said, who was at Ash's side.

"They look like Pokemon, but there's something evil about them," Brock said.

"Well, whatever they are, they look ready for a fight," Ash said.

"Well if it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get," John said. He then walked forward and turned back to the other trainers. "My fellow trainers, these Pokemon wish to harm our beautiful city! If they want to do that, they'll have to get through all of us! What say you all?"

The other trainers, however, seemed rather frightened. It was something about those eyes...

"He's right," Trey said, walking up next to him. "This is just another test to prove how strong we are as trainers. We need to show these Pokemon who's boss!"

"Yeah, he's right," one trainer said.

"Let's do it for Jubilife!" another one said.

Soon the trainers erupted with cheers and soon they brought out their Pokemon, arranging from all types. "Well, might as well help them," Ash said, taking out his Pokeballs. "Come on out Grotle, Gliscor, Buizel, Chimchar, and Staraptor!" There were five flashes of light and Ash's companions appeared.

"Alright! Come on out Ambipom, Pachirisu, Buneary, and Mamoswine!" Dawn said, throwing out four Pokeballs. There were four flashes of light and Dawn's companions appeared, with Piplup joining them.

"You too as well, Croagunk and Sudowoodo!" Brock said, calling out his two fighting Pokemon.

"You think you're going to have all the fun?" John said. "Come on out Luxray!"

"Prinplup, prepare for battle!" Trey said.

"You as well Magmortar!" Cole said.

* * *

(A/N: YES! I LOVE HUGE POKEMON BATTLES! Anyway, I figured this scene needed some awesome music. So, the song I'm using is "Boss Theme 1" from SSBB. Didn't really think I would be using Brawl songs. Oh well.)

* * *

The two groups stared each other down, neither of them making a move. All of a sudden, the Shadow Pokemon morphed first into balls of dark energy. Then, they changed form once again and now they had suddenly become a mirror image of the real Pokemon.

"Did they just...?" Brock said.

"Change form?" Dawn said, completing the sentence.

"No way," Ash said. He then put a determined look on his face. "No matter, nothing can stop us. Let's go get them guys!"

*Ash's Pokemon nodded and quickly charged, and soon the others followed, charging straight at the Shadow Pokemon, as they quickly did the same. Soon, they met mid-way and it instantly became a brawl. While many of the Pokemon were able to beat their counterparts, more kept coming. While it was a brawl fight on the ground, it was almost like a war zone in the air. The sky was filled with flying Pokemon, both attacking and dodging and the city was taking the damage, as more buildings were struck.

Back on the ground, Buizel was battling his own self, but both had resorted to melee combat as his copy grabbed him and threw him to the ground, but Buizel got up quickly and tackled him, while punching him in the face.

Piplup, lost and confused in the whole battle, was busy trying to avoid any type of attack that was being aimed at him. However, he tripped and fell, and soon looked up and saw one of the Shadow Pokemon in front of him charging up what looked like a Dark Pulse.

Dawn saw her companion and quickly cried out, "No! Piplup!" However, as the Pokemon launched the dark sphere towards Piplup, Prinplup got in between and took the hit, blowing him back. Dawn looked over and saw Trey coming to aid his Pokemon. "Trey, you had Prinplup save Piplup?"

Trey looked up to her and smiled. "I'll protect you Dawn, as well as any of your Pokemon."

"Trey..." Dawn said quietly, surprised while slightly blushing.

All the trainers, realizing that the Pokemon had taken the battle into their own hands, could do nothing but stare at the battle before them. Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, could only watch as well. He wanted to fight too, but Ash wouldn't let him. "Pika pikapi?" he said to Ash.

"I know you want to fight, Pikachu," Ash said. "But I feel that I might need you if something goes wrong."

And indeed, something was about to. While in the air, a trainer's Flygon was in the air, battling its opponent. It then shot a Hyper Beam, but the other Pokemon dodged it, and by mistake, it went right into the battle area, causing a huge explosion. All the Pokemon were blown back and once the dust cleared, they were all on the ground, either unconscious or too weak to fight.

All the trainers ran to their Pokemon's aid. Ash and Dawn ran up to theirs making sure they were okay. "Ash, Dawn!" Brock said to them. "We need to get out of here! Everyone's heading towards the Pokemon Center!"

"Right," Ash and Dawn both said, calling back their Pokemon. However, John was still by his Luxray, who was unconscious. "Luxray..." he said, petting his Pokemon on the head. He then looked to the other Shadow Pokemon which were closing in. "I'll make those bastards pay!" he said angrily, pulling out another Pokeball and was about to call another one out but someone stopped him.

He looked over and saw Trey who was holding his arm back. He shook his head. "There's no point, John," he said. "Do you want the rest of your Pokemon to end up like Luxray?"

"Listen, everyone's retreating back to the Pokemon Center," Cole said, who appeared on his other side. "We have to hurry."

John sighed. "Alright," he said, calling back Luxray.

After everyone had returned their Pokemon back to their Pokeballs, they made way to the Pokemon Center, which was big enough to be used as a safe haven. Once getting everyone in, Brock helped some of the other trainers board up the doors and windows. Meanwhile, the other trainers locked themselves in every room the center could hold. Thankfully, since it was located in a city and especially since it was in Jubilife City, this was the largest center in Sinnoh.

Ash and Dawn were in one of the many rooms, accompanied by other trainers who were perched against the wall. "Ash, I'm scared," Dawn said, while Piplup, who somehow escaped the explosion, perched on her shoulder.

Ash then put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm a little scared too Dawn," he said. He then smiled. "But it's okay to be scared. Trust me, everything's going to be just fine."

"Pika pi," Pikachu said, agreeing.

Ash was then caught by surprise as Dawn grabbed him and hugged him tightly. He then smiled as he returned the hug, his hand gently rubbing her back. After they broke the hug, he looked at her. "What was that for?" Ash said, still smiling.

Dawn giggled. "Well, partly for what you just said, but also because for what you've done for me."

"What do you mean?" Ash said.

"Oh come on Ash," Dawn said. "If it wasn't for your help, I probably would've never been able to get myself four ribbons, or even one for that matter. Also, you gave me the confidence I always needed for myself and my battling. Thank you Ash."

"Piplup pip," Piplup said, smiling.

Ash chuckled. "No problem," he said. "It's always good to help a friend in need."

Dawn realized it was time for her to express her feelings. If they didn't make it out of this, then perhaps now was the best and probably the last chance she would have. "Ash..." she said. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"What's that?" Ash said.

"Well,,," she said, feeling herself starting to blush. "You see, we've been traveling together for awhile and been on some interesting adventures."

"I know," Ash said, a little confused. "But what are you trying to say?"

"I... well, I may have some deep-" But she was interrupted all of a sudden as they heard pounding on the door from the other side. They both sat up quickly, while Dawn grabbed his arm. While Pikachu and Piplup got ready in case of an attack, Ash and Dawn slowly went up to the door and then, slowly, Ash opened the door.

All of a sudden, he and Dawn were both steamrolled by Brock and some other trainers who apparently were trying to get in. "Sorry guys," Brock said sheepishly. "Some of the other trainers were eager to get inside." Pikachu and Piplup both had a sweatdrop on the side of their heads as they saw their friends dogpiled on the ground.

"It's alright," Ash said as he got up. "How's everything going below?"

"Everything should hold for a little while," Brock said. " We contacted for help and police forces from the other cities are heading this way as we speak."

"But how do we know that the other cities aren't under attack as well?" Dawn said.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Brock replied.

"What I'm curious about is why those Pokemon are attacking us." Ash said.

"Ash, I don't think those things _are _Pokemon," Dawn said. "Evil or not, not all Pokemon can change their form, especially like that."

"True," Ash said. "But who could be behind all this?"

"Can't say," Brock said. "But I've a bad feeling that it won't be over after this."

* * *

After a couple of hours, everyone in the center had gone to bed, except for some who kept watch to the entrance. Luckily there were plenty of sleeping bags for all the trainers provided by the Pokemon Center.

While everyone else was sleeping, again Dawn was still awake. She could hear the faint sound of explosions coming from outside, but they seemed farther away from the center. She didn't seem scared anymore, just a little depressed. She had come so close to telling Ash, but once again she came up short. _"I don't know much longer I can go like this," _she thought. _"If I don't tell him soon, I may never get another chance if we ever part."_

Tears starting to form in her eyes, she got up and opened the door into the hallway. She rested her head against the wall, thinking what it would be like if Ash and her would actually get together. She knew that someday, depending on what would ever happen in their adventures, she may end up leaving Ash and Brock and starting her own journey.

"Pika pi?" She looked over and saw that Pikachu was watching her, a concerned look on his face.

"Oh. Hi Pikachu," Dawn said, wiping her tears away.

"Pika pika pi?" Pikachu asked.

"Oh, no need to worry, I'm fine, really," Dawn said. But, she then looked away and sighed. "Pikachu? You mind if I tell you something?"

"Pika," Pikachu said, shaking his head.

"Well, I'm not quite sure if you noticed, but I have certain feelings for Ash," Dawn admitted.

Pikachu just smiled, chuckling a little bit.

Dawn smiled. "So I guess you did notice, huh?" Pikachu nodded and jumped into her arms, nuzzling her face. Dawn laughed. "Aw, thanks Pikachu. I'm glad you don't have a problem with it." While still holding Pikachu, a thought then came to her. "Pikachu, would you know if Ash liked me?" Pikachu smiled, but could only shrug his shoulders. "Well, I guess thats better than a 'no' then. Anyway, we had better get back to bed." She was about to head back when an idea came to her head. "Actually, Pikachu, I was wondering maybe if you wanted to sleep next to my sleeping bag tonight. I know I already have Piplup but I could always use the extra company. Besides, I'm sure Ash wouldn't mind."

Pikachu's eyes lit up. "Pikachu!" he said happily, nodding his head.

Dawn smiled and gently kissed him on the forehead, making him blush a little bit, which made Dawn giggle. "Thanks Pikachu. You're definitely a true friend indeed."

* * *

(A/N: Aww, what a sweet ending. Anyway, somehow this took me a little bit to write up but thankfully it's done now. See, I told you there would be PearlShipping.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	6. Troubling Times Ahead

(A/N: That's it! I'm officially in love with Final Fantasy music. I'll be using a lot of it in this story, and just listening to it makes me want to play all of them. Thats probably one of the biggest regrets I have. I was always kind of interested in the series, but now that they're up to 13 now, how in the world could I possibly catch up? Besides, I don't have a PS3 or even a PS2 for that matter. Oh well, my opinion of FF has now changed.)

* * *

Chapter 6: Troubling Times Ahead

The mood at the Jubilife City Police Department was rather somber. They were all aware of the events that occurred the previous night, and knew today was just not going to be a good day. Lieutenants Davis, Spencer, and Jacobson were doing paperwork at their assigned desks until one of the secretaries came up to them.

"Lieutenants Davis, Spencer, and Jacobson?" she said. The three of them looked at her. "The Captain wants to see you."

They instantly froze in their seats. It was never good when the Captain wanted to see them and they knew well enough that this was not going to end well.

The trio got up reluctantly and headed towards the Captain's office. Once they came in, they saw the Captain, whose name was Morgan Cresswell, was reading the morning news. After closing the door, they stood there, waiting for the Captain to say something. However, it wasn't till about a minute later did he do anything. He then folded up the newspaper and laid it on the table, pushing it towards them.

"Take a look at the front page," he said. They nervously looked at the front page. There was a picture of the city being attacked with the headline: _**Jubilife Under Attack By Mysterious Forces! **_"So, anyone have anything to say about this? Hmm?" Cresswell said.

The three lieutenants tensed. Normally, the Captain was this calm, and that usually meant he was going to burst out any second. "Sir," Davis said. "We had no idea that-"

"No idea? NO IDEA!?" Cresswell yelled. "Are you telling me that neither you nor the forces around the city saw anything unusual?"

"Well, not at the time sir," Spencer said.

"Dear God. You know, I should just kick you all off the fucking squad! I didn't think at the time that half of the police force here in the city were goddamn idiots!" Cresswell said, his anger increasing. "You know that it took three squads to put down these "things!?" And thats not even including the damn force here. Even the trainers here performed more professionally than you idiots! They could at least hold them back for about twenty minutes. I might just consider getting rid all of you and just recruit damn trainers!" He stopped for a second to catch his breath. "Do you realize what this is going to do to us? Half of the city is in ruin, people are going to end up getting laid off due to the fact most of the factories are destroyed, and it's going to cost us half of the budget to repair for all the damage, that's just gonna go well isn't it?" He then put his head into his hands, sighing. "What about the Contest Arena?"

"They say that it took minor damage, but it could take some time to repair it," Jacobson said.

Cresswell threw the pen he had in his hand against his desk which bounced off the table and onto the floor. "Well that's just great!" Cresswell said. "So what are we talking, like a month? Oh, I'm sure that'll go well with all the trainers looking forward to this contest. We had the biggest turnabout of trainers entering the city for this contest, and now everyone's just going to leave." He sighed again, trying to calm himself down. "I hate having to do this, but now I don't think we have a choice. This city cannot afford another attack like this. We're going to have to tighten security. Not just here, but in the entire Sinnoh region. We don't even know if the neighboring regions have been attacked, but I'm sure that the Senate is going to be discussing about this. I want all entryways and exits to and from the city to be put under police personnel and establish checkpoint areas so that we can provide security and safety to all our civilians. I never want this event to be repeated again."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, it's that time again. This time, the song I have is called "Thirteenth Discretion," from KH:Re:COM. I just wish that it was a little longer.)

* * *

*In a dark chamber, a lone figure was pacing around, waiting for the others. He didn't have to wait long long as three other figures appeared before him. "It's about time you showed up," he said.

"Oh settle down, Mathias," Zachariah said. "I don't see why you're so damn impatient."

"I'm sure you've heard the news then?" Mathias said.

"Of course," Alicia said, nodding. "We know that one of their main cities was attacked, although apparently they gave a good resistance as the Pokemon are all gone."

"But it was just a test," Zachariah said. "Lord Xanatos just sent in one group. He knew they wouldn't succeed entirely. Still, they were able to cause some damage at least."

"So imagine if the numbers were multiplied," Alicia said.

"But there's something else," Mathias said. "It seems that the Chosen One was there as well."

"So, he's finally shown himself, huh?" Zachariah said. "I should've figured as much."

"But," Mathias said. "He doesn't seem aware of his true identity."

"Interesting," Alicia said. "Perhaps now is the best time we strike. If he's not aware of his true power, then nothing can protect him." Zachariah nodded.

"Perhaps," Mathias said. He then took notice of the third figure who had not said anything yet. "Wait a minute," he said, walking up to the figure. "I don't know this one."

"This is Raphael," Alicia explained. "He just recently joined our cause. Unfortunately, he's not much of a speaker."

"Does Lord Xanatos know about this?" Mathias said.

"Not exactly," Alicia said. "But I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem."

Mathias sighed. "Very well. We'll have to go after him while he's still vulnerable."

"I'll take care of him," Zachariah said. "Chosen One or not, he's still a pathetic being of the light."

"Alright then," Mathias said. "We'll meet with the others soon and learn about their progresses."

They then disappeared, and the dark chamber was silent once more.

* * *

Ash woke up the next morning, feeling a bit groggy. He then noticed that Pikachu was no longer on his lap but was instead on Dawn's. Ash smiled, realizing that Pikachu must've made the switch earlier in the night. Feeling hungry all of a sudden, he quietly got out of his sleeping bag. He was about to leave the room, but then stopped and turned around. He saw Dawn, who was lying asleep peacefully. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked while sleeping. He always wondered why she wore a cap during the day if she was one who was concerned with her looks. Still, if she didn't wear one, he'd probably end up mesmerized by how beautiful her hairstyle was.

_"Wait a minute, what am I saying?" _Ash thought, shaking his head. _"It's almost like I have feelings for her, but I can't be. I mean, I like Dawn as a friend but I'm not sure if I like her more than that." _Realizing how strange this scene looked, he then exited the room and went downstairs to the cafeteria.

As he got there, he noticed John was there, along with his Luxray. "Hey John," Ash said.

John looked up to him and smiled. "Hey Ash, get enough sleep last night?"

"Yeah," Ash said. "I'd ask the same for you but I think I already know the answer."

John chuckled. "Yeah, I was among the trainers keeping watch last night. Luckily we didn't have any problems after that."

"So how's Luxray feeling?" Ash said, taking a seat next to him.

"He's just fine, aren't you Luxray?" he said, petting his Pokemon.

"I've just never seen anything like that before," Ash said. "Those Pokemon just didn't seem real at all."

"Probably because they weren't," John said. "And yet, they were perfectly capable of using any type of attack. This is rather disturbing."

Soon, Dawn and Brock came down to join them, as well as Trey and Cole. "I figured you would be down here Ash," Dawn said.

"Well, it was mostly my stomach that woke me up," Ash said sheepishly.

"That's nothing new," Brock said.

All of a sudden, something came on to the TV in the center. "We interrupt this broadcast for a special report," the announcer said.

"After last night's devastating attack in Jubilife City, almost half of the city lies in ruin. Police say they do not have a lead as to who was responsible, but unfortunately have said that the threat may not be over."

"Half the city?" John said.

"Also, because of the fact that the Contest Arena in Jubilife City has taken some damage, full repairs could take at least a month, meaning that until that time, the Contest has been postponed-"

"What!?" Dawn and Trey both said.

"However, with the Grand Festival being less than two months away, the Board of Committees feels that this may put a whole lot of stress on all coordinators, especially of those who need to fulfill the necessary regulations to enter the Grand Festival."

"Great, and of course it has to happen when I only need one more ribbon," Dawn said, her head down in disappointment.

"Where else can I go to get one more ribbon?" Trey said, who was in the same position. They both sighed.

"Wow, both Dawn and Trey must be taking this hard," Brock whispered to Ash.

"Yeah, it's one thing to have only have a couple of ribbons, but Dawn only needs one more," Ash said. "Plus if she can't find another contest or if she doesn't win this one, it could be too late for her."

"Pika pika," Pikachu said, looking up at Dawn.

"Piplup," Piplup said, who was on Dawn's shoulder, looking at her.

She then looked up and had a determined look on her face. "Hey, no need to worry," she said. "So I have to wait another month for my last ribbon, that won't bother me." She then turned to Trey. "While we're waiting Trey, I guess we had better both make sure to train real hard."

Trey looked at her surprised. He then smiled. "You're right," he said. "And once we meet in battle, both of us natives of Twinleaf Town, the entire Sinnoh region will realize the true talent trainers and coordinators have coming from our town!" he added, raising a fist into the air, while everyone suddenly felt awkward with a sweatdrop next to their faces.

"Well, hopefully both our dreams come true," Dawn said, smiling sheepishly.

"So what do we do now?" Ash said.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to move on and see what else is going on," Brock said.

Once they finished getting food, they went outside and were completely stunned. The news report hadn't been lying. Where they were, was the spot which got damaged the most. While all the buildings were still intact, huge chunks had been taken out of them, with smoke still rising from them.

"Wow," Ash said.

"This is horrible," Dawn said.

"Pika pika," Pikachu agreed.

"Piplup," Piplup added.

"So, I guess this is where we part then?" John asked.

"I guess so," Ash said.

"Well then Ash,Dawn, Brock, it was a pleasure to meet you all, it's just unfortunate that we'll have to wait until we meet in battle again," John said, shaking Ash's hand.

"You better be prepared for it, for I won't be holding anything back," Ash said.

"So, do you think we'll see each other after the contest is over?" Trey said to Dawn.

"Oh, I'm sure we will. After all, we do both live in the same town," Dawn said.

"That's true," Trey said. He was caught off guard as Dawn gave him a hug, and even more surprisingly gave him a kiss on the cheek. Both of them blushed instantly. "What was that for?" Trey said sheepishly as he placed a hand behind his head.

"For saving Piplup from before," Dawn said. "He's most grateful, aren't you Piplup?"

"Piplup!" Piplup said, giving his own thanks.

The three heroes then departed from Jubilife City, looking for another adventure. Little did they know that this adventure was just beginning.

* * *

(A/N: Nice, now we'll end up getting more into the story. This is where everything will start to good. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for more on the way soon.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	7. A Failed Attempt At Love

Chapter 7: A Failed Attempt At Love

After leaving Jubilife City almost three hours ago, Ash, Dawn, and Brock, continued on their way to the next closest town, hoping to find something to spend the time they had now.

"Well, I guess I could still practice even though I already have my appeal strategy down," Dawn said.

"You know Dawn, with the Grand Festival less than two months away, maybe while you're waiting you should try finding another contest," Brock said. "Because if you don't win this one, you might come up short of getting into the Grand Festival."

It wasn't the best choice of words as Dawn went up to him and grabbed him by the ear. "And who says I won't win the contest?" Dawn said calmly, although there was fire in her eyes.

"Uh, no one!" Brock said, grinning sheepishly, while in pain.

"That's better," Dawn said, letting him go.

Ash, Pikachu, and Piplup instantly sweatdropped, making sure not to make any comments. _"I can't really blame Dawn for how she's feeling," _Ash thought. _"I'd probably feel a little stressed out myself." _"Say, I know what will make you feel better," Ash said. "A hearty lunch, that's what."

Dawn laughed. "I couldn't agree more, Ash."

Piplup looked to Pikachu, giving him a look. Pikachu smiled and nodded, and Piplup smiled in return, without either of their trainers noticing.

"I'm rather hungry myself," Brock said. "We could just stop here and have some lunch then."

While Brock was getting lunch ready, Ash and Dawn went to get some wood for a fire. Dawn realized another opportunity for her to express her feelings to Ash was coming up soon, so she decided to try to "butter" Ash up, so to say.

"So Ash," she said, while they were in the forest, "Are you ready for your next Gym battle?"

"Only one more with Volkner, and then I'll have all eight," Ash said.

"Well, you know I'll be cheering for you as always," Dawn said with a wink.

"Thanks Dawn," Ash said. "So, are you planning on wearing that cheerleader's uniform you have with you?"

"Oh," Dawn said, blushing a bit. "Well, I could if you want me to."

Ash laughed. "Well, the choice is up to you Dawn, it makes no difference to me."

Dawn sighed. _"This isn't quite going the way I planned it," _she thought. _"Guess I'm just going to have to throw it out there." _She then looked to Ash. "Ash? There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"What's that?" Ash said, who stopped and looked right at her.

She looked into his eyes and was instantly mesmerized. "Well... I had been meaning to tell you this last time but..." But she couldn't say it, while still mesmerized. Her knees locked, she suddenly felt light-headed and fell onto her knees.

"Dawn! Are you alright?" Ash said, coming over to her side.

"Oh. I'm fine Ash," Dawn said, mentally yelling at herself for screwing up again. "I just had a weird moment, that's all."

Ash helped her up and they then kept walking, finding some firewood and then made their way back. "So Dawn, there was something you were going to tell me?" Ash said.

Dawn blushed even more, realizing it was too late now. "I'll just tell you later on," she said.

Ash had noticed Dawn's change of behavior. He realized something must be bothering her and wanted to ask her about it but didn't, seeing that it was probably best not too.

While they were eating, something new had crossed Ash's mind. He wasn't sure what was bothering Dawn, but he had to tell her anyway. "Listen, Dawn," he said. "Maybe it might be best if I just sit out of this contest."

Dawn, Brock, and Pikachu stared at him in shock. It wasn't like Ash to quit out on something. "But Ash, why?" Dawn asked.

"I know this means a lot to you Dawn," Ash said. "I couldn't possibly accept the ribbon if I won it, because you deserve it more."

Dawn was surprised but touched as well. She then smiled. "So this is what it's all about? Ash, you know as well as I do that if you won that ribbon I couldn't be upset about it. Besides, if you win it, you deserve it then. That won't change anything."

"Yeah," Brock agreed. "Besides, I'm sure everyone would love to see you two battle in the final round."

"Yeah!" Dawn said. "We would sure give them a battle no one will ever forget."

"Right," Ash said. "Alright, then I guess I'm staying in then."

After lunch, the trio continued on their way. They decided to make their way to Sandgem Town. Since the town was near Sandgem Beach, they could get in some relaxing time as well. "Oh, I sure hope we can head to the beach while we're there!" Dawn said, rather excited about the fact they were traveling there.

"Also, it's also on the way to Sunyshore City, so then you'll be able to get your final badge, Ash," Brock said.

"And I can't wait for that," Ash said.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said.

"Just remember Ash, this might be your toughest Gym battle in Sinnoh," Dawn said. "So you're going to have to be ready."

"Hey, with me and my Pokemon, we're always ready," Ash said.

After a couple more hours of walking, it had finally started to get dark. Getting a hearty dinner, they decided to go to sleep a little earlier since they would end up getting earlier the next morning. That way, they could get to Sandgem Town a little earlier and Ash could get some training in.

It was starting to become a process for Dawn, not being able to fall asleep. It seemed like it would keep happening until she finally told Ash, letting a load off her shoulders. Quietly to not wake up Piplup, she went outside of her tent and stood near the fire, staring up at the stars.

She was a little surprised. She never had worn her dressing gown outside of her tent. Then again, she was rather self-conscious when it came to clothing wear. _"I don't know how much longer I can keep going like this," _she thought. _"If I don't tell Ash soon, I'm probably going to end up losing my mind." _A sudden breeze came through, blowing her hair back slightly. She sighed. "How can I possibly end up being with someone I care for if I can't even tell them face-to-face?"

"Dawn?" She looked around and saw Ash, who was up and staring at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Oh, hi Ash," Dawn said, trying to smile, but couldn't quite do it.

"Is something bothering you?" Ash asked.

"No, I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep," Dawn said, wishing she didn't keep saying that. She looked back up at the stars. "The stars are beautiful tonight."

"Yeah, they are," Ash said. "Well, if everything's alright, then I'm going to go back to bed then."

As he turned to go back to bed, something in Dawn yelled at her saying, _"No! This is your chance! Tell him!" _"Wait Ash," she said. Ash stopped and turned around, facing her. "You know before I said I had to tell you something?"

"Yeah," Ash said.

"Well, the thing is," Dawn said, hesitant. "You see, we've been together for awhile on this journey, and we've become real good friends. What I'm trying to say is, I have deep feelings for you, more than a friend."

Ash was caught by surprise at this. He hadn't expected this and wasn't sure how to respond. "Dawn," he said. "I... know we've been friends for awhile, and I'm obviously glad to have met you, but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to go to that next step yet."

Something in Dawn snapped. To her, it felt like her heart. "Oh, I see," Dawn said.

"I'm sorry, Dawn," Ash said. "But we'll always be best friends no matter what."

"Right," Dawn said. "Well, I'm going to head back to bed now."

"Alright," Ash said, and both went back to their sleeping bags.

As Dawn went back inside her tent, Piplup woke up, hearing her. He then noticed something different with Dawn, something was obviously wrong. "Piplup?" he said.

"Hi Piplup," Dawn said sadly.

"Piplup pip?" Piplup asked.

"It's nothing," Dawn said, feeling the heartache inside of her getting bigger and bigger, causing her more pain.

"Piplup pip?" Piplup then asked.

Dawn knew she couldn't lie to her companion. "Yes, I did," she said. She then closed her eyes, and tears started to flow out of them. "But Ash just isn't ready for a relationship yet." She then placed her pillow over her face and sobbed quietly. Piplup went over to her and patted her shoulder, trying to calm her down, but it was no use. Dawn was lost in her own world of sorrow.

* * *

(A/N: Damn it Ash! Why did you say no? Oh well, I'm just as much to blame. Anyway, there'll be another song coming up here, but I'll let you know about it. I felt like this scene needed music, but also a thriller part, well sort of. So, the name of the song is "The Big Staircase" and yes, it's from Super Mario Galaxy. So what, same company.)

* * *

After Ash had fallen back asleep, he suddenly found himself in a great hallway. "What in the world?" he said. "Dawn? Brock? Pikachu? Anyone?" But no one answered. "Guess it's just me then." He then realized none of his Pokeballs were with him either. "Great, hopefully I don't run into any Pokemon here," he said sarcastically.

He then started walking forwards. He was amazed by the architecture. It was like he was in a giant castle. He then entered another room, which had no other doors, but only a giant staircase. "That's a rather large staircase," Ash said. "I guess where I want to go is up there."

He was about to ascend up the stairs until he heard something, and looking behind saw what looked like a purplish-black cloud form. It then took a solid form and two red eyes formed on his face. "Aw crap," Ash said as it then grew two rather sharp claws.

*Ash then quickly ran up the stairs as fast as he could with the being only about two feet behind him, swiping with it's claws. As he was about to think the staircase would never end, he got to the top and saw a door in front of him. He sprinted towards the door and opening it, quickly ran inside and closed it, bracing against it, but nothing came from the other side.

Breathing heavily, he turned around saw he was in a dome-shaped room. In the middle, he saw what looked like a glass case. He walked over to it and saw that the object was a sword. However, it was a majestic sword, with unfamiliar symbols on the blade. He reached in to pick it up but was suddenly zapped, making him pull his hand away.

"Welcome, Chosen One," a voice said suddenly. Ash looked around but saw no one.

"Who's there?" he said. "Show yourself!"

"You always were the impatient type, weren't you?" the voice said. A flash of pink light appeared and soon a large figure took it's place. It was an all too familiar figure to Ash.

"Palkia," he said. "So we meet again."

The great space Pokemon stood before him. Ash had met him twice before, in Alamos Town and Michīna Town. "You don't seem real thrilled to see me," Palkia said, through telepathy.

"Well, I guess since you, Dialga, and Giratina almost destroyed two towns, I don't know who would be," Ash said, crossing his arms.

Palkia, however, was not in the mood to discuss such things. "You are probably wondering why I brought you here?" he said. "You're curious about those beings that attacked Jubilife City?"

"You know what they are?" Ash said.

Palkia nodded. "They are from another realm. The realm of darkness."

"Realm of darkness?" Ash asked.

"For every world of light, there is a world of darkness. Like two sides of a coin. But there is also a world that connects the two, the world of twilight. Those of the darkness wish to flush out the light and bring complete darkness to all worlds," Palkia explained.

"And I'm the only one who can stop them?" Ash said.

"Not by yourself, you will need the aid of your friends to succeed. But you must remember, there are those who wish to eliminate humankind and Pokemon alike in your world. You are now their primary target. In the state you are in now, you are no match. However, the sword before you is the key to your success."

Ash looked down to the sword, and cautiously, put his hand in the case, not getting shocked this time, and picked up the sword, which amazingly didn't weigh at all that much. "Years ago," Palkia continued. "Back in the ancient times, kings of different regions spoke legends of three mighty swords being made in the honor of the gods. One each for Arceus, Dialga, and myself."

"What about Giratina?" Ash said.

Palkia sighed. "At the time, Giratina was still banished in the Reverse World, and wasn't looked upon as a positive figure. Each sword represents us. Dialga's with the power to control time, mine to travel to other dimensions, and Arceus' being the most powerful of them all, but has never been put into humans' hands. This sword you hold before you is the sword of time. With it, you can travel to the realm of darkness and destroy the evil that lurks there."

"But why me?" Ash said.

Palkia smiled. "You were named the Chosen One long ago, with the incident in the Orange Islands. We can see it in yourself. Besides, only the purest of heart can be able to use it's full power. But even so, you will be put to the test."

All of a sudden, the figure that Ash had encountered before appeared before him. Ash then looked to the legendary deity. "I hope this isn't some sort of sick joke?"

Palkia smiled. "Maybe, maybe not," he said before disappearing.

* * *

Dawn woke up early in the morning, just seeing the rays of the sun trickle over the horizon. She then got up and did her hair, got dressed and then got her tent put away. Piplup, who was awake as well, was very confused with what was going on. "Piplup?" he said.

"I'm sorry Piplup," Dawn said. "It's best if I'm on my own for awhile."

"Piplup pip!" Piplup said, surprised.

"Don't worry Piplup, you'll be coming along as well," Dawn said.

"Piplup piplup pip!" Piplup said angrily.

Dawn sighed. "You don't understand, Piplup," she said. "I feel that it's just best if I'm alone for a little while so I can get over this."

"Piplup pip," Piplup said, tears forming in his eyes.

Dawn then got out his Pokeball. "Return," she said, calling Piplup back. She knew Piplup was not going to like this, but she didn't have a choice now. She then looked to Ash and Brock who were still sleeping. "Brock, I'm sorry I had to leave so abruptly like this. And Ash, don't worry about me." She then left the two behind and went forward on her own.

* * *

After being hit by the being and thrown against the wall, Ash got up slowly. Whatever this thing was, it was sure strong. He then charged at it again swiping at it, but it blocked each attack. All of a sudden, Ash felt a strange feeling inside of him. He felt lighter and using that to his advantage, he jumped over the being and took a swipe at it, connecting and soon the figure disappeared.

Breathing heavily, he looked at the sacred blade, which gleamed in the light. "Well done," Palkia said, reappearing once again. "Your skills as a swordsman are better than what I thought. Maybe Arceus was correct about you."

"So now what?" Ash said.

"Well, that is all I had to tell you, after all you are in a dream," Palkia said. "Oh, actually, there's one last thing. Your companion, Pikachu."

"What about him?" Ash said.

"While he is your friend, he serves another purpose," Palkia said. "You see, the sword has the ability to bind your hearts together, making you one and increasing your power."

"Sheesh, that sounds like something from a video game I've played," Ash said.

"With that power, evil does not stand a chance," Palkia said. "_Now _that's everything that's needed to be said. The door behind you will lead you back to the real world."

"Thank you Palkia," Ash said. He turned around and walked towards the door. However, he stopped and turned back to the great Pokemon. "Palkia. There is one thing that I ask though. Why did you and Dialga fight in the first place?"

Palkia sighed. "We were just two beings that should have never met. We didn't see the world suffering from our actions, we just saw our territory being invaded."

Ash nodded. He then turned back to the door and opened it, being engulfed in a white light.

* * *

Ash then woke up, and saw that Brock and Pikachu were trying to wake him up. "Finally!" Brock said. "We've been trying to wake you up for almost five minutes."

"Why, what's going on?" Ash said.

"It's Dawn. She's gone!" Brock said.

* * *

(A/N: Oh no! Dawn left! Now what will our heroes do? Well, you're just going to have to wait till next chapter to figure out!)

FoxMcCloud7921


	8. A New Destiny and New Friends

Chapter 8: A New Destiny and New Friends

Dawn was making her way through the forest on the way to Sandgem Town. It had been about an hour since she had left. To be honest, she was feeling some sort of regret for just leaving like that, but it was too late now. _"It sounds like a selfish move on my part, but it's the only choice I could do at the time," _she thought.

All of a sudden, a flash of light came from Dawn's belt and Piplup suddenly appeared before her, and he did not look happy at all. "Piplup pip," Piplup said.

"Piplup, we talked about this before," Dawn said, still walking. "I already made my decision."

"Piplup pip!" Piplup said angrily.

Dawn stopped, starting to get fed up. "Look, if you want to go back to the others, go ahead, but I'm still going forward."

Piplup was surprised by her last comment. Dawn normally would never say anything like that, or even in that tone of voice. Piplup sighed, realizing he couldn't possibly leave Dawn's side, no matter what and continued to follow her.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, the song I have here is called, "Organization XIII," from KH2.)

* * *

*Inside a white chamber, seven figures sat in matching thrones. This was where the group met to discuss their plans.

"So, preparations have been made then?" Henrik asked.

"There are assaults planned for the regions of Kanto, Hoenn, Johto, and Sinnoh," Alicia said. "Lord Xanatos believes that the islands can wait as they should not be able to resist for long."

"I see," Henrik said. "And what about the Chosen One?"

"It seems that he may have discovered his true destiny," Petrus said.

"It won't matter," Zachariah said. "He would still be inexperienced. How can one use such power if they can't control it?"

"Actually, I found out some interesting information," Andrius said. "It seems that one of the Chosen One's friends has left him."

"And how does that help anything?" Mathias asked.

"Well, she has feelings for him, and it's possible he may feel the same," Andrius replied.

"Ppft! Love. There's nothing you can get out of such a thing," Alicia said. "Love can only make a person weak inside." Mathias shifted in his seat, but no one noticed.

"So what are you suggesting?" Henrik said.

"Well, it's quite simple," Andrius said. "She could be able to help us unintentionally. We just have to convince her to turn against the Chosen One. It'll at least give us more time."

"Very well, then I think you can take care of this since it's your idea," Henrik said. "But what if she doesn't want to turn against him."

"Well," Andrius said, handling the knife in his hand. "Then I guess I'll just take the easy way out and just kill her. Be one less to worry about."

Henrik nodded. "Alright, then it is settled. Andrius will take care of the girl, and Zachariah will take care of the Chosen One." He then looked to Zachariah. "I must warn you though. Don't take the boy lightly. If he was certainly chosen by the gods, then he will be no pushover."

Zachariah grinned under his hood. "Trust me, I've yet to take any life lightly."

* * *

"But why did she leave?" Ash asked. "It's not like her to just run off on her own."

"Sounds like she might have been upset about something," Brock said. "Have you noticed that at all?"

Ash then remembered the conversation they had last night. She was sad and had left because she expressed her feelings towards him and he had turned her down. He suddenly felt guilt inside of him. Truth was, he too felt something towards Dawn, but it just didn't seem the right time at this point. "No, I hadn't," he then said.

"Well, I'm sure she's fine, besides she has all of her Pokemon with her," Brock said. "Most likely she just needs to care of something by herself."

"Yeah," Ash said. "So what do we do then?"

"Well, I guess we just keep going forward, we'll probably end up running into her eventually. Besides, I'm sure she would want you to go for that next Gym badge and not worry about her."

But Ash was worried. Sure, Dawn was an expert trainer now, but what if something were to happen and she gets caught off guard? Ash could only hope that they run into her before anything else does.

* * *

As Dawn continued on her way with Piplup in her arms, she then saw what looked like a thunderbolt. "What was that?" she said, running over to where the attack came from. However, once she got there, she noticed that it was only a Electabuzz. However, she knew who's Electabuzz it was and saw Paul, Ash's newest rival, beside it.

"Come on, I know your Thunder attack is stronger than that," Paul said. "Do it again."

Electabuzz gave him a look but proceeded with another Thunder attack, this one stronger than the last.

Paul sighed. "Better, but still not good enough. Return," he said, calling Electabuzz back. He then looked over and noticed Dawn. "So where are your two loser friends?" he said, without even a hello.

"First of all, they're not losers and second, I'm just by myself for a little while, that's all," Dawn said, glaring at him.

"And whys that?" Paul said, crossing his arms. "Let me guess, you and Ash aren't getting along at the moment?"

"No!" Dawn almost yelled. "We're just... I don't feel like saying."

"Whatever," Paul said, starting to walk away. "You're just too embarrassed to admit how pathetic he really is."

Dawn felt her anger rise at that last comment. "You know Paul, it's amazing how opposite you are from your older brother! He's more respectable than you can possibly be!"

Paul stopped in his tracks. He then looked back to her. "You know why I'm so different than my brother? Because I believe that being nice and constantly rewarding the Pokemon you have will only spoil them. Maybe that would explain why your Mamoswine won't listen to you." He then continued walking.

Dawn gritted her teeth in anger. "I don't care what Paul says, you have to treat your Pokemon with respect, that way they'll do the same, right Piplup?"

"Piplup pip," Piplup said, nodding.

"Well, since we've been walking for awhile, we might as well take a break," Dawn said, sitting down. She then looked to Piplup sadly. "Piplup, I'm sorry for what I said before. You know I would never leave you behind, right?"

"Piplup," Piplup said, smiling.

"So, you're not mad at me anymore for leaving Ash and Brock?" Dawn then said.

Piplup answered by giving her a hug. Dawn laughed and petted the penguin Pokemon on the head. "Thanks Piplup," she said. She then blushed slightly. "You know Piplup, we've been together for awhile as well. I guess you could say we were made to be partners, just like Ash and Pikachu."

"Piplup," Piplup said, nodding again.

"Well, honestly, I don't know where I would be without you," Dawn said. "Pretty much what I'm trying to say is, I love you Piplup."

Piplup soon had tears in his eyes and jumped into her arms again, giving her another hug. "Piplup piplup," Piplup said, saying that he loved Dawn as well.

All of a sudden, they both saw another thunderbolt about ten yards in front of them. _"Probably Paul again working his poor Pokemon to death," _Dawn thought, annoyed. However, it did not appear again. Then, she heard what sounded like a Pokemon in pain. She then ran over to where the sound was and suddenly noticed a familiar yellow-looking Pokemon. "Pikachu?" she said.

Indeed, it was a Pikachu, which was lying on the ground but then realized it was not the same one she knew so well. There was a dent in it's tail, meaning that it was a female. It opened one of it's eyes and suddenly jumped up, getting into a defensive position and it's cheeks started to spark.

"Pika pika pika!" the Pikachu said.

"Don't be scared," Dawn said. "I'm not going to hurt you. Hey, I know." She went through her bag and got out some Poffins. "Here you go," she said, handing one to the Pikachu, but it quickly swatted it out of her hands while growling. "I guess you're not a big fan of Poffins then," Dawn said nervously, pulling her hand back.

Piplup then went over to the protective Pikachu. "Piplup piplup pip!" Piplup said angrily.

"Pi pika pi!" the Pikachu said, ready to attack, but then winced in pain and fell to it's side.

"That's enough, Piplup," Dawn said, picking him up. She then looked to the Pikachu, feeling sympathy. "Please, just let me help you, I know that you're in pain."

The Pikachu looked up at her, but did or said nothing. It allowed her to pick it up and check for any injuries, but overall, it looked fine. However, she did notice something on the back of it, near it's neck. It looked like a number.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, you remember before how I said each character has their own theme? Well, here comes another one, and yes it's a Star Fox song, but believe it or not, _Command _did well creating themes for each character. Anyway, the song is "Peppy's/James' Theme", though I'm thinking of editing it to "Ash's/Pikachu's Theme.")

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash and Brock were continuing their way on to Sandgem Town. "So, how much longer do you think it will take to get to Sandgem Town?" Ash said.

"At the rate we're going, we'll first reach Canalave City by tomorrow and then hopefully hit Sandgem City by the day after," Brock said.

"Good, at least we can rest in Canalave once we get there," Ash said.

*All of a sudden out of nowhere, three beings, just like the ones they saw back in Jubilife, appeared. "Oh no! Not these guys again!" Brock said.

Ash then looked to Pikachu. "We can take care of this, can't we buddy?"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said, jumping out in front of him.

"Alright Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash said.

Pikachu fired a thunderbolt, which hit them directly but didn't seem to affect them much.

"Alright then, use Quick Attack!" Pikachu sprinted towards the trio, but they were prepared. As Pikachu hit one, the two others then attacked, hitting Pikachu and sending him back, hitting the ground beneath him.

"You alright, Pikachu?" Ash said. Pikachu then got up quickly and nodded. _"Three against one is an unfair advantage. Guess there's only one thing to do." _"Alright Pikachu, it's time to use that new combination we learned before. Use Volt Tackle and Iron Tail together!"

Pikachu then ran towards the three enemies, suddenly being engulfed in electricity. He then went up into the air, his tail glowing and hit each one of them, colliding into them with Volt Tackle and hitting each one with Iron Tail. Pikachu then rolled into the air and landed behind them as the three being disappeared into flashes of light.

"Awesome job, Pikachu," Ash said as Pikachu ran back to him and jumped into his arms. "Nice way of getting some training in, huh?"

Then, another beam of purple light appeared and soon a figure in a black robe took it's place. He then began to clap his hands together. "Well done, Chosen One," the man said. "We've always known you were gifted into becoming a strong Pokemon trainer, but how do we know that you can live up to your title by the gods?"

"Who are you?" Ash said.

The man chuckled. He then lowered his hood, revealing his face. "You can call me Zachariah," he said. "We've been waiting so long to finally meet you, Chosen One."

"The name is Ash!" Ash said angrily, while Pikachu soon had electricity coming out of his cheeks.

"Whatever," Zachariah said. "Now, you're probably wondering just who I am and why I'm here. Our Lord Xanatos wants to claim this world of light and turn it into another world of darkness. However, it seems that you are the one that is blocking our path, so now we're assigned to eliminate you."

"I'd like to see you try," Ash said, as Pikachu jumped out in front of him once again.

Zachariah chuckled, and with a wave of his hand, Pikachu started to float in the air. Suddenly, he was flown back, hitting Brock and knocking him down as well. What looked like some sort of forcefield emerged, closing both him and Ash inside. "You're just like the others on in this god forsaken world. Weak and pathetic. I'm afraid you're Pokemon can't help you now." All of a sudden, a black blade appeared in his hand. "Now, let's truly see the power you are said to behold!"

Ash was suddenly surprised. He then remembered the sword that had been given to him. _"But how do I get it here? It was just a dream?"_

_"You must call it with your heart," _a familiar voice said in his head.

Ash then thought deep down and called for it's aid. All of a sudden, the same sword he had carried before was now in his hands, surprising him somewhat.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, at this point we're going to end up having two songs back to back, but I'll let you know where to change. So, the two songs are both KH songs and the first one is "Scherzo Di Notte" (The COM version) and the other is "Struggle Away." This should be good.)

* * *

*"There," Zachariah said. "So the legends are true after all. Now we will face each other in battle!"

He then charged at Ash, blade at the ready. He then jumped into the air, and Ash dodged before Zachariah landed the blow. Ash tried to catch him off guard, but Zachariah was too quick, blocking the attack. He then used one of his legs to knock Ash off his feet, but Ash used it to his advantage to slice against Zachariah's leg, wounding him. Ash got up quickly and started a flurry of attacks against Zachariah, each hitting him and sending him back. While he was still stunned, Ash charged up an attack and ran towards him, hitting him directly and knocking him to the ground.

After a couple of seconds, Zachariah got up slowly and started chuckling. "Well done, Ash," he said. "Your skills do not disappoint. However, that was just a test."

"What?" Ash said.

"You see, I wasn't even using all my power," Zachariah said. "Do not think I will go down so easily." All of a sudden, a blue flame covered his body. "But I sense that you were doing the same. So now, bring yourself to your full power. I enjoy fighting those who are equally as matched as me. That way, if I die, I die with honor, not cowardice."

_"But to do that, I need to bind my heart with Pikachu's," _Ash thought. He then had an idea. He closed his eyes and let his words hit Pikachu's ears. _"Pikachu, I need your help."_

Pikachu heard the words in his mind and quickly recognized them as Ash's. _"Pikachu, I know this sounds weird, but to beat this guy, our hearts must become one. You understand?"_

Pikachu nodded, even thought Ash couldn't see him. He then closed his eyes as well, and suddenly, his body began to glow, surprising Brock who was there next to him. There was a flash of light, and Pikachu was gone and suddenly Ash felt a new presence in him. _"Pikachu, is that you?"_

_"Yes, it's me Ash," _Pikachu said in his mind. Somehow Ash was able to understand him but it didn't bother him. All of a sudden, a yellow glow, which looked like electricity, surrounded Ash's body. He then opened his eyes, and they had turned a yellowish color. *"Alright Pikachu, let's do this then!" The sword in Ash's hand gave off a crackle of electricity. "Alright Zachariah, you want a battle, then you got yourself one."

"That's what I like to hear," Zachariah said, grinning.

The two charged each other and suddenly attacked each other with a flurry of sword swings which either hit or missed them. They both jumped and charged again and then their swords struck together, and it soon became a test of strength and both of them attempted to push each other back, but it was Ash who ended up prevailing, pushing Zachariah back and able to score a couple of more hits.

Both were becoming tired quickly, but Ash and Pikachu weren't willing to stop now. He then went to attack again but Zachariah then dropkicked him, knocking him down. Ash, however, responded by tripping Zachariah as well. They quickly got up and Ash punched him in the face, and soon they both were interlocked, keeping each other from attacking. Zachariah however, threw him to the ground and waited for him to get back up. Once he did, he realized this was it. The final moment.

Zachariah realized this as well and soon, they both charged at each other with incredible speed, and then they struck at each other. They then faced opposite directions with their backs turned. However, it was Zachariah who suddenly felt pain and collapsed onto his knees.

"But how?" he said. "It's not possible."

"The light will always overcome the darkness," Ash said. "You should've known that."

"Perhaps you're right," Zachariah said, realizing he didn't have much time left. He looked to Ash and smiled. "You know, I used to be a trainer myself, before giving into my dark temptations. Hell, we were all trainers at one point before we fell to darkness. I remember my first Pokemon that I caught. A Zigzagoon. We were the best of friends. Unfortunately, before I became what I am now, I had to say goodbye. I couldn't let him see what I was. And now, I wish that I never left him."

All of a sudden, out of the bushes came a Linoone. It went up to Zachariah with a smile on it's face. "Could it be?" Zachariah said. He then smiled. "Yes it is you! You evolved into a Linoone!" He then gave Linoone a hug, which it happily returned. Zachariah then gave a grunt of pain and fell to his side. However, he smiled at Linoone. "Sorry old friend, but it's time for me to go now. Off to a better place. Hopefully, I can forget what I've done and change from who I am now to who I was before. Goodbye, dear friend." He then closed his eyes and he was still. Then, his body disappeared in a flash of light.

Linoone looked to where it's old trainer was with tears in his eyes. It gave a glance to Ash, and then, sadly, went back to the bushes where it came from. The glowing light around Ash disappeared and suddenly Pikachu appeared back on his shoulder. Brock walked up to them, very disturbed. "Um Ash? What exactly just happened?"

Ash and Pikachu both laughed. "It's a long story," Ash said.

After Ash had explained everything, mostly coming from the dream, Brock understood now. "So let me get this straight. You were chosen by the gods to defeat this evil that's living in a realm of darkness and Palkia appeared in your dream and gave you that sword which lets you and Pikachu become one?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Ash said.

"Sounds like a game I played before," Brock said. "Well, I've seen weirder things. Still, I hope you don't feel bad for killing that man, even though he was evil."

"No, I don't think he was truly evil, just confused," Ash said. "And I don't think I killed him. I think I just set him free."

* * *

(A/N: Well, that was interesting. Yeah, yeah, you could say its almost like Kingdom Hearts, but with Pokemon. Still, in some ways it obviously isn't. Anyway, I have a tendency of making evil guys go good at the end, I don't know it's just my style. As for the Linoone, I thought it would add a little bit of sympathy. Oh yeah, I did mention before how I would use OC from my other story in this, and trust me, she's going to have a bigger role in this. Or at least she's going to have a bigger story. So yeah, this was the longest chapter I've ever done I think in awhile, at least close to the one I did in "Pikachu & Me." Anyway, that's enough babbling and I'll be seeing you guys next chapter.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	9. A Pikachu's Story

(A/N: Alright, it's best if I warn you now that this scene might be a little intense and a little graphic. If you feel the need to, you can skip this chapter if it becomes too much for you. By the way, this is all in first-person, but just this chapter.)

* * *

Chapter 9: A Pikachu's Story

_I can remember the day my family was taken away. I was only a Pichu at the time and still young. My father was a strong Raichu and not one to be with messed, and my mother was a Pikachu, and I do not think you would ever meet one as sweet or as beautiful as her. We were happy together, living in Kanto with the other native Pokemon. That was until the day the humans showed up._

_It was just another normal day for all of us, warm, sunny, and a clear blue sky. I was with my mother and father, and were having breakfast. Father at the time was in charge of providing food for us, while mother looked out for me. I was still young at the time, only about three months old. It was just another day, until they showed up. Immediately, about five vans came right into the forest, spooking away most of the Pokemon. Suddenly, about twenty people came out of them and instantly came after us. We knew that they were poachers._

_We had to get out of the area, but father insisted mother and I run, and that he would hold them off. Mother pleaded with him, tears in her eyes, to come with us. He gave her a stern look and told us both to get out of here. With tears in my eyes as well, mother and I ran away as fast we could._

_We then got to a clearing where it seemed safe. However, mother couldn't stand the fact of leaving father behind, but didn't want to leave me behind either. We both found a hole next to a tree which served well for a hiding spot. However, mother did not stay. Feeling regret, she told me she had to go find and help father. I pleaded with her not to go, because I couldn't lose her now. She looked at me and smiled, assuring me that her and father would return soon and we would all go on with our lives._

_However, after some time, they hadn't returned yet. Once it seemed like the area was clear now, I crept out of hiding and returned to the spot where the three of us lived. However, they were not there. Starting to feel panic, I went around, yelling and screaming their names, but they didn't answer. I realized the horrible truth: they had been taken._

_I could easily remember the next two or three days crying all day and night, mourning the loss of my parents, for all I knew wherever they were, they were as good as dead. Soon, however, I then got over it, realizing I had to move on with life. Still, I made a promise to myself make sure those responsible paid for what they had done. It was that day when I lost my trust in humans.

* * *

__A few months had passed. I finally evolved into a Pikachu, no longer feeling defenseless. I stayed in the same area I had grown up. Maybe it might have been best to move somewhere else, but I just wasn't willing to do that yet. The friends I knew during my childhood often came to see me, to make sure I was doing okay. I appreciated what they were doing, but it wouldn't change anything. _

_Soon, I had other Pokemon coming to me, telling me that they were evacuating the area. This area was becoming a hot spot for an organization known as Team Rocket. They must've been the ones who kidnapped my mother and father. I knew I had to leave, but I told the others I would leave tomorrow morning, that way I would have enough time to get out of the Kanto region and possibly travel to somewhere like Hoenn._

_However, that choice proved to be a big mistake on my part. That night, while I was sleeping, I suddenly heard screams fill the air. I then realized what was going on. They were coming after us at night. I quickly tried to escape but apparently I had been tracked down and had fallen into a trap, which involved using a device which drained my energy, since I was an electric-type. I quickly passed __out.

* * *

_(A/N: Okay, this is where it gets bad. I had a song choice for this, but I'm not quite sure if it'll work out or not. It fits the mood, but I'm not 100% convinced on this. If it doesn't, just ignore this little note. Anyway, the song is "Misconstruction" by Apocalyptica.)

* * *

_When I came to, I saw that I was in a cage in the back of a van. I cursed myself, wishing I had left when I still had the chance. But there was nothing I could do now. Soon, the van reached what looked like some sort of facility. I already had a bad feeling about this, but then I had a feeling of hope, thinking possibly I might be able to find my parents._

_Once we got there, the people driving the van got me out of the back and took me inside. As I looked around the building, it seemed like a normal facility. There was a man at a desk in the front part of the room. He looked to the men who had brought me in, and then to me myself. He opened the cage and took me out. I could've struggled away, but I was too weak to. He looked me over, checking to make sure I wasn't hurt or had any injuries._

_"Hmm," the man said. "She seems to be in good condition. Put her with the others."_

_The two men nodded and I was put back in my cage. Taking an elevator, the two men and I went down to the basement area of the facility. That's when I found out the truth of what was going on. _

_The basement area was huge, almost the size of a hangar. All around the basement stood huge cages, holding many Pokemon in each. Also, it seems that they had separated each Pokemon, meaning that all of one Pokemon lived in a single cage. I was then brought into another room, where I saw some sort of metal restraining area. The two men took me out once again and strapped into this seat, strapping down my paws, feet, even my head. I was a little confused as to why I was facing into the weird contraption. _

_My fears then came true as a man in a white lab coat came in with a needle and carefully injected the needle into the back of my neck. I then realized why I had been restrained. I cried out in pain as I was practically being stabbed. However, it did not last long, and I was then released. What they had done to me was put a number on me, identifying myself out of the other Pokemon. I had lost my own identity and became a pawn of this organization. My name now was Prisoner #593. _

_I was then put with the other Pikachu in the cage. It was not a pretty scene. Never have I ever seen such misery among Pokemon. I knew for a fact that this experience would not end well. I went over to the one side and sat down, not sure what to do now._

_"So, they caught you too?" I then looked up and saw another Pikachu staring at me with a small smile. She seemed a little older than myself, possibly close to my mother's age._

_"Yeah," I said. "Who are these people and why are they doing this?"_

_"They call themselves Team Rocket," the Pikachu said. "As to why they're doing this, I do not know. It would only seem in their nature to do such things. I'm Prisoner #372, by the way."_

_"A pleasure to meet you. I'm 593. I was hoping... that I could find my parents here," I said. "They were captured about three months ago."_

_"You poor thing," 372 said, coming over to me and sitting next to me. "My husband and I were captured sometime ago as well. We had a daughter, who was still young at the time. We didn't know they were coming, but luckily they never found her. I can only hope that she's fine now."_

_"Tell me," I said, "Are all these Pikachu here female?"_

_"Well, here yes," 372 said. "It was only some time ago that they had to separate gender."_

_"How come?" I asked._

_372 then looked rather uncomfortable. "Well, due to the conditions, some of the Pokemon went rather insane, and in some cases, since there were females mixed with males, they went after the females and starting raping them."_

_"Raping them?" I said, surprised and completely shocked. "How could do they do such a thing?"_

_"The mind can easily become corrupted," 372 said. "Unfortunately, I was among the many who had to go through such a terrible experience."_

_I looked away in shame. "I'm sorry," I said. "I should've never brought it up."_

_372 laid a paw on my shoulder. "Don't be dear," she said. "It's over and done with, I have nothing to fear now."_

_She and I had instantly become friends. Despite hard times, our bond never broke, it only got stronger. The other Pikachu with us kept saying how one day we would be saved and escape back to freedom. But that day never came. It had been about two weeks, and still here we were._

_But now came the point which explained why we were brought here. We were just test subjects, being put together to fight each other. Almost everyday, I was taken out of the cage and brought to a room which looked like a training room. They had put some sort of bracelet on my left foot, it's purpose I did not know at that point. Soon, another Pokemon was brought in, usually a different type, and we were to fight each other, to see how strong and capable we were._

_Of course, I did not want to fight an innocent Pokemon, and refused to fight. However, I then found out what the bracelet was for. It was able to produce electric shocks, which electrocuted the wearer for a couple of seconds. Normally for myself, this was nothing, but they had tweaked with the device, making it produce larger amounts of electricity, up to levels we electric-types could barely handle. While most Pokemon only had to be shocked about once or twice, I was shocked at least ten times and usually passed out._

_The scientists here realized how disobedient I was and looked for a way to get through to me without constantly harming me. They then had an idea. My meals were cut in half, and my water supply was cut in half as well. I knew they were trying to get to me mentally, but I couldn't let them win, even though I grew weaker and weaker each day. Finally, they resorted to one last idea.

* * *

__372 and I were talking one day, and I decided to ask her a more personal question. "So, what was your daughter and husband like?" I asked._

_372 smiled. "My husband was a very strong Raichu, pure-hearted and always a lively soul. He was caring, loving, and always fun to be around with. I had hoped we would be together even here, but my hopes were crushed. Soon, after about a month or two, I had found out that he had died due to disobedience. He absolutely refused to fight one of his fellow kind. And, they electrocuted him to death. It was hard at first, learning of his death, but I eventually got over it. I know now he's in a much happier place. As for my daughter, I knew she was just like my husband, strong-willed but always kind and beautiful."_

_"Sounds like something my own mother said to me," I said smiling._

_"She was only a Pichu when we were both taken. I bet now she's a beautiful young Pikachu. I can only hope now she finds herself someone to love as well, to continue her line."_

_"So where did you live?" I asked._

_"We lived in the forest area around Kanto," she said. "Very beautiful. We always had many friends there."_

_"That sounds close to where I lived," I said. I then realized something. "Wait a minute..."_

_But before I could say anymore, two men came by and called her over. She then looked over to me and smiled. "It's good to see you again, dear. After all these months," she said, before being taken._

_I then realized with shock who I had been talking to all this time. "Mother?" I said. I then went over to the side of the cage and started shaking the bars while screaming, "Mother! Mother!"_

_She only looked back to me and smiled before being taken into the next room. And that was the last time I ever saw her.

* * *

__After learning the death of my father and my mother, who had been euthanized, I soon __developed a strong hatred against the humans. Who were they to take us prisoner? Who were they to make us fight against each other like barbarians? They had no right to do such things, and I could only hope that one day they would be put to justice._

_It would be another two weeks before what I had said would become true. It was going to be another day for all of us Pokemon, until suddenly, the basement was filled with humans dressed on blue uniforms. They were apparently the police force of the region and found about Team Rocket's operations. We were freed, but I had no intention of staying with any human, even those who tried to save me. I had lost all trust for them._

_After escaping the facility, I knew it was time for me to leave these region once and for all. For days, I continued on a straight path, not sure where I was going. After a couple of days, I had finally reached a new region, this one called Sinnoh. It seemed like Kanto, but the Pokemon were different. Even so, they let me be with them. Still, I was tired, and still weak from my experiences at the facility. I had been there for almost two months._

_I thought for sure I was done for, seeing I couldn't find any food in the area. However, I then noticed a trainer who had found me. While normally I wouldn't let any human near me, there was something different about this trainer, who called herself Dawn. She was rather pretty, and had a Pokemon herself. I didn't exactly trust her at first, but now I think that I might be warming up to her. She had even offered me food, though I had refused it at first, but I later accepted it. _

_Was it fate that brought us together? I didn't believe in it at the time, seeing that fate would not try to kill me. But it's a possibility. I actually feel comfortable around her, and I hope we can start a new friendship.

* * *

_(A/N: Hey, I did say it would be rather intense. Actually, this sounds like a Pokemon Concentration Camp! Anyway, I was reading the book _Night _and got the idea from it. I realized my OC needed a good background story, since she is a main character. So, I hope you liked this chapter and wasn't freaked out by it.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	10. Yuna

(A/N: Okay, I don't know it I mentioned this before but some songs in this will be repeated, just so everyone knows that. The song again is "Thirteenth Discretion.")

* * *

Chapter 10: Yuna

*"I'm afraid Zachariah is gone, my lord," Mathias said. "The Chosen One has killed him."

Xanatos was silent for a minute. "His death was not in vain. For now, we know his one weakness."

"The Pikachu?" Henrik said.

Xanatos nodded. "Together, they are strong, but divided, they are no match against you. It would be best to dispose of the Pokemon before the Chosen One can call him."

"With your permission my lord, Raphael and I can take care of this," Alicia said. She had told Xanatos about Raphael just recently, and even though he wasn't one for raw recruits, he felt that this one had potential.

Xanatos nodded. "Very well. But do not make the same mistake Zachariah did, or else it may be your last."

* * *

"I'm surprised you're wanting to join us all of a sudden," Dawn said smiling to the Pikachu in her arms. "But then again, I wouldn't be a good trainer and leave you by yourself while you're still weak."

The Pikachu didn't say anything, but just stared at her, surprised. _"She doesn't seem like the other humans I've met," _she thought. _"Maybe she's not so bad after all."_

It was starting to get dark, and soon they would have to set up camp for the night. However, before that, Dawn decided to fill up on her water bottle, since there was a lake nearby. She put the Pikachu down next to her and quickly filled up her bottle, while also getting a drink as well. "Wow, I don't think I've ever tasted water so clean," she said.

All of a sudden, she heard a noise behind her and once she turned around, saw four familiar looking shapes with glowing red eyes. "Oh no, not these things again!" Dawn groaned. The Pikachu then got up, ready for battle, but was then picked up by Dawn. "Oh no you don't," she said. "You're not strong enough to battle, and will only do more harm to yourself. Don't worry, I'll take care of this. I'll protect you from here on in."

The Pikachu looked at her, even more surprised. _"Protect me? Not hurt me?" _She then smiled and nodded.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, time for another song already. This is going to be Dawn's theme and the song is "Krystal's Theme" from SFC. I think it fits Dawn's character at this point.)

* * *

"So, four against one, huh?" Dawn said. She then took out two Pokeballs. *"Alright Piplup and Pachirisu, come on out!" There were two flashes of light and Piplup and Pachirisu appeared. "Piplup, use Bubble Beam, and Pachirisu use Discharge!"

Piplup then shot a round of bubbles at the enemy while Pachirisu discharged a huge amount of electricity. Both attacks hit two of them, sending them back. But the other two used it to their advantage to attack both Piplup and Pachirisu, knocking them back.

"We won't go down that easily," Dawn declared. "Piplup, use Peck and Pachirisu, use Super Fang!"

Piplup and Pachirisu then collided with their targets, knocking them back and dealing enough that the two disappeared, leaving only two left.

"Nice job you two!" Dawn said. "Now let's take care of the stragglers. Piplup, use Whirlpool, and Pachirisu, Discharge one more time!"

Piplup then summoned a gigantic whirlpool and quickly sent it towards the one Shadow Pokemon, while Pachirisu used Discharge once more against the other one. The two attacks hit and soon, the other two Pokemon disappeared as well.

"Alright!" Dawn yelled. "Great job you two. You both earned a good rest," she added, calling back both Piplup and Pachirisu. She then sighed. "I hope I can get to a Pokemon Center soon because I don't know how much more we can keep doing this." She then looked back to the Pikachu, who had watched the entire battle. "Now, I think it's time we rest for the night."

Dawn then found an open area and got her tent set up. Once she was done with that, she then fed her Pokemon with what food she had. _"Now I'm really starting to think leaving was a bad idea. At least I could rely on Brock's cooking," _Dawn thought. However, she had enough and her Pokemon were satisfied. She then got some food for the Pikachu. "Of course I couldn't forget about you," she said. She then thought of something. "You know, perhaps it might be best if I give you a nickname. See, my one friend has a Pikachu as well, and if I call you Pikachu as well, it might keep me thinking about him."

"Pika pika?" she said.

"Well, it has to be a nice name, and one we can both agree on," Dawn said. She thought for a minute. She then snapped her fingers. "I know. How about Yuna?"

The Pikachu thought about it. It did sound like a nice name and it did seem to fit her. She then nodded, smiling.

"Alright, Yuna it is!" Dawn said.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, if you got a problem with Yuna, that's too bad. Anyway, we got another song coming up here. The name of it is "Missing You," from KH. Didn't I say I have a lot of KH songs?)

* * *

"Pika pi pika?" Yuna asked.

"Oh, my friend?" Dawn said. "Well, his name is Ash and we met here in Sinnoh. It was kind of crazy how we met since I found his Pikachu and quickly befriended it. After that, we started traveling together and we've had plenty of adventures for sure. *The thing is though, since we had been traveling together for so long, I started to have feelings for him." She then looked up at the stars in the night sky. "The chemistry we have together is rather surprising. We're alike in so many ways, you can say. It took me awhile to gather the courage to tell him, but once I did, it didn't quite end the way I had planned it. I felt so distressed that I had to be on my own for awhile. But, soon I'll go back to them, once I get over it."

"Pika pi," Yuna said.

"Well, it's possible," Dawn said. "Sure, he may have been a little confused, or maybe not sure what to say. But, I won't press it against him. Still, I can't help but think what would happen if we did get together." She then giggled. "It would be like a fairy-tale, with a happy ending. Well, we had better get some sleep, you especially."

Yuna was still interested in this story but nodded in agreement. However, as much as she liked Dawn, she knew that she couldn't stay with her. She had her reasons and wasn't willing to explain them yet.

* * *

Earlier, Ash and Brock were making their way through the large forest. Ash had something on his mind and Pikachu could easily see that.

"Pika pika?" he said.

"Huh? Oh, I don't know," Ash said. "It's all I ever hear now, being "the Chosen One." I heard it before in the Orange Islands, being referenced with Sir Aaron back when we were helping Lucario, and here it is again. Is it all just a coincidence?"

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked him.

"Well, I think maybe my destiny involves more than just becoming a Pokemon master," Ash said. "I was never really up for it, but if my duty is to help the world as well, then so be it."

"Say Ash, since it's about noon, why don't we have some lunch?" Brock said.

"Sure," Ash said. "After our little battle, I think Pikachu and I have both worked up an appetite."

"Pikachu," Pikachu said, agreeing.

As if on cue, they were rudely interrupted by some "old friends." "You know, this is really starting to get old!" Ash said.

* * *

(A/N: I'm just going crazy with the songs aren't I? Sorry, but we have another one, and this will end up being another character's theme. Whose? You'll find out. Anyway, the song is called "Victory is Near" from Fire Emblem. Might as well use the Brawl version if it's different.)

* * *

But before he could call out anyone, one of them was hit by a flamethrower. They looked over and saw that it had come from a Blaziken.

*"Blaziken?" Brock said. "Is that who's I think it is...?"

He then found himself correct as they both a familiar friend running up to them. "Is that...?"

"May!?" Ash said.

"The one and only!" she said. "Alright Blaziken, use Overheat!" Blaziken then shot out a huge beam of energy, incinerating all but one. "Now, let's finish this with Blaze Kick!" Blaziken ran towards the last Shadow Pokemon and jumped into the air and hit it straight in the face, knocking it down and destroying it.

Ash and Brock were stunned. There were at least four or five of them and Blaziken had obliterated them with two attacks. "What's wrong Ash, are you surprised to see me?" May said, giggling.

"Well, that and the fact that your Blaziken has gotten stronger," Ash said. "So how's everything going, May?"

"Pretty good I say," May said. She then looked behind her and saw someone running towards them. However, he collapsed onto the ground before them.

"Drew?" Ash said, surprised.

"Nice to see you Ash," Drew said, exhausted. "May, could you warn me next time you go off running? You know I can't keep up with your speed."

May laughed. "Sorry Drew, but I saw Ash and I had to make sure to catch up with him. Plus I saw that he needed some help, am I right," she said, looking at Ash.

"Actually, I could've taken care of them myself," Ash said.

"So May, what are you doing here and when did you and Drew start traveling together?" Brock said.

Both of them started blushing. "Well, we met up in Johto..." May said.

"And then we decided to travel together despite the fact the two of us are rivals," Drew said, completing the sentence.

"Ash, we passed by Jubilife City," May said. "What in the world happened there?"

"Well, it's a long story," Ash said. He then explained to them what had happened up to this point, including the dream he had and the battle he fought in while they continued walking.

"That sounds very strange," May said.

"Sounds like a video game I once played," Drew said.

"Well, I guess the good part of all of this is that the contest had been postponed," May said.

"You were going to enter the contest as well?" Ash said.

"Well, we almost didn't make it thanks to Drew not knowing where to go," May said.

Drew hung his head. "I said I was sorry," he said.

May punched him playfully. "I'm just kidding! Besides, we would've watched the Contest anyway."

"You know," Brock whispered to Ash. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that those two have gotten together recently."

"I could've told you that," Ash whispered back, smiling.

"Speaking of which, where's Dawn? She's normally with you two?" May asked. She then saw the gloomy look on Ash's face. "Wait, she's alright isn't she?"

"Oh no, she's fine," Ash said. "She just left on her own for now."

"I see," May said, and said no more about it.

"So May, how are all your Pokemon doing?" Ash said.

May smiled. "You could say they've grown up a bit." She then took out two Pokeballs. "Come on out you two!" There were two flashes of light and a Blastoise and Delcatty.

"Wow! Your Wartortle evolved into a Blastoise and your Skitty evolved into a Delcatty," Ash said.

"She may be a Delcatty now, but she still has Skitty's personality and cuteness, isn't that right Delcatty?" May said, petting Delcatty while she purred.

"What about you Drew? Anyone new to the team?" Ash said.

"No, my Roselia had evolved into a Roserade, but that was awhile ago," Drew said.

"You know May, with a Blastoise, Venusaur, and Blaziken, you have quite an aresenal under your belt," Brock said.

"Well, if it wasn't for you two, I don't think I'd be as strong a trainer and coordinator as I am now," May said. "So how about it Ash, let's have a battle."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so I was on Youtube the other night, and I found this one person who took like all these songs from games, and slowed them down, changing the tempo. I must say, most of the music sounds pretty cool, so I'm going to try this out. I can only give you the link to this, sorry, but here it is: .com/watch?v=bqrSzcGkWbI&feature=related. It's King Dedede's theme but if you listen to it, I think it kind of reminds me of Pokerap IMO. Oh well, just check it out. Oh yeah, since I'll be doing a lot of these, just ignore the video as it pretty much shows nothing.)

* * *

"Sounds good to me," Ash said. "Now it's time to bring out a new friend of mine as well. Go Gliscor!"

Gliscor appeared ready for battle. All of a sudden, it then had a confused look on it's face. May apparently was a little creeped out by him.

"Uh May? Are you alright?" Ash said.

"Oh, it's nothing," May said, grinning sheepishly. "Your Gliscor is just a little creepy, that's all."

Gliscor felt rather insulted and hung it's head. Ash quickly ran over to him. "Oh come on Gliscor, you're not creepy, you're just a little intimidating, that's all." But that didn't help as Gliscor hung his head even lower.

May then felt bad. "Oh Gliscor, I didn't mean that," she said. "Of course you're an awesome Pokemon!"

"Gliscor!" Gliscor said happily, causing Ash to face-fault onto the ground.

"Glad to see you're so forgiving," Ash mumbled.

*"Alright then, I choose Beautifly!" May said, calling out her butterfly Pokemon. "Your move first."

"Alright Gliscor, use X-Scissor!" Ash said. Gliscor crossed both it's arms and two beams of light, resembling an X shot out towards Beautifly.

"Use Silver Wind!" May said. Beautifly flapped it's wings, sending silver crescents towards the X, deflecting it. "Now use Aerial Ace!"

"Gliscor counter with Steel Wing!" Ash said. The two flying Pokemon charged and hit one another, but Gliscor's Steel Wing proved to be stronger as Beautifly was blown back. "Alright, nice hit Gliscor!" Ash said.

May smirked. "Impressive Ash, but you forgot one thing. Beautifly, Morning Sun!" Beautifly started to glow and suddenly, Beautifly looked fully healed. "You can attack me as much as you want, Ash, but Beautifly will keep recovering."

"So we'll just have to take it out in one hit!" Ash said. "Alright Gliscor, use Sand-Attack!" All of a sudden, Gliscor surrounded itself in a giant dust cloud.

"Nice try, Ash, Beautifly use Whirlwind and then use Psychic!" May said.

Beautifly used Whirlwind to sweep away the dust cloud and was about to use Psychic until-

"I was waiting for that. Now Gliscor, use Screech!" Ash said. As Gliscor appeared, it used Screech, which hit Beautifly and paralyzed it temporarily. "Now, finish it with Fire Fang!" Gliscor flew straight at Beautifly with fire in his mouth and then bit Beautifly in the face, a direct hit. Beautifly hit the ground and was knocked out.

"Oh no, Beautifly!" May said. She then looked up to Ash and smiled. "Wow Ash, your skills have definitely improved."

"You've gotten better yourself," Ash said, calling back Gliscor.

"Well, that's partly due to training with Drew," May said, blushing slightly, while Drew did the same.

"In other words, she owes me," Drew said, trying to keep his cool. May however, said nothing in return.

"Well, I guess after a battle, it can sure work up an appetite," Brock said. "We might as well get some grub as it's getting dark."

After finally getting some food, the group set up camp. At some point, May realized she had to talk to Ash as to why Dawn wasn't with them.

"So Ash, tell me the truth, why isn't Dawn with you guys?" May asked him, while Drew, Ash, and herself were sitting near the fire.

Ash sighed. "Well, I'm not exactly 100% sure, but the night before she left, she told me that she had feelings for me,"

"And what did you say?" May asked.

"Well, I said I wasn't quite ready for a relationship yet," Ash said.

May sighed. _"Same old, typical Ash. I guess some things never change." _"And did you really mean that?"

"Well... I'm not sure now exactly," Ash said. "I mean, there were some points where I really felt attracted to her, but I wasn't sure if that was really me thinking that or not."

"I think I know what the problem is." Ash and May both looked to Drew. "What it sounds like is that you do have feelings for her, but you're just hesitant to express them. Trust me, May and I experienced the same thing, but eventually we were able to tell one another," Drew said, taking May's hand into his.

May blushed slightly. "It's true," she said. "I never really thought we'd be a couple since we're rivals, but that doesn't mean anything. What you have to do Ash, is find her and tell her how you really feel about her. I'm sure she can forgive you then."

Ash thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "I can't be afraid to express my own feelings, it won't do me any good. Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Drew said. "Just don't expect to get a lot of advice from me often, it's not quite in my character."

The three of them laughed, and soon they went to bed, getting ready for another day of unexpected surprises most likely.

* * *

(A/N: Well, now you understand the title of the chapter now, well you should by now at least. Anyway, NO I did not pick that name just because of Final Fantasy X. I happen to like that name a lot. You know, I never really thought that slowing down or increasing the tempo of a song could change it in many ways. I like this idea and will probably add more songs like that. Well, until then have fun reading.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	11. Corruption

Chapter 11: Corruption

Dawn woke up the next morning with the sun peering through the tent she was in. She saw the tent had been opened. She then looked around and saw that Yuna was gone. "Huh?" she said, getting out of her tent and looking around, but she was gone. Dawn sighed. "I guess she had her reasons. She is a wild Pokemon after all."

"Piplup?" Dawn looked back and saw Piplup looking at her, worried.

Dawn smiled. "No need to worry. She'll be fine I'm sure. But we had better get going if we want to make it to Sandgem Town." She then realized that Ash and Brock would be there as well. Well, maybe by the time she gets there she'll decide to join back with them.

Dawn then got her tent packed away and soon continued on her way with Piplup. However, it wasn't long before she heard a voice behind her.

"Dawn!" she looked behind her and to her surprise saw that it was...

"Trey?" she said. "What are you doing here?"

Indeed, it was Trey. He ran up to her and said, "Well, I'm just heading from Jubilife back home. I don't want anyone from home worrying about me and all."

"But, isn't Twinleaf Town the other direction?" Dawn asked.

Trey then became very hesitant. "Oh, I thought this way led to a detour or something," he said, grinning sheepishly.

"Trey, you're not really going home are you?" Dawn said.

Trey sighed in defeat. "No. The truth is, I came all this way to see _you_."

"Me?" Dawn asked. "But why?"

"Well, the thing is," he said, "I know that we haven't really known each other for so long, but I've known you since we were young."

Dawn then looked at him for a second. It finally dawned on her. "Trey!? From school? Oh Trey, now I remember you!" She then hesitated a bit. "You were the one always being picked on, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Trey said sadly. "But now I'm on good terms with everyone. Everyone appreciates me now."

Dawn remembered what it was like back in school. Trey was sort of a scrawny kid, who was always being made fun of because he didn't really have a thing for gym battling but for contests. But now looking at him, he had changed a lot, and even now more attractive, wait a minute what was she thinking? "I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you before," she said, a little embarrassed. "At the time I was with more of the popular kids."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Trey said. "But the truth is, the reason I'm here now is, well, I've always kind of liked you when I was younger, and I still do."

"Oh," Dawn said, blushing. "Um, listen Trey. I mean, I like you as a friend and all, but despite the fact that we remember each other from school, I don't really know you that well, at least now. I don't know if it would work out. Besides, I have interest in someone else. I'm really sorry."

"Oh no, it's fine," Trey said. "I kind of figured you would say, but it wouldn't hurt to try anyway."

Dawn giggled. She then put a hand on his shoulder. "But hey, that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. I'll tell you what, the next time I come by Twinleaf Town, I'll give you a call and maybe we can get together, just like old times."

Trey smiled. "I like the sound of that. So where are you headed now?"

"Well, Piplup and I are heading towards Sandgem Town, mostly to hit the beach," Dawn said. "We might as well get some R&R before training again for the contest."

"Yeah, I'm going to have to do the same," Trey said. "Well, I might as well head back now. But I'm sure we'll see each other again real soon."

"Yep, we will," Dawn said. "I'll see you later, Trey."

Trey started walking the opposite direction but then stopped. "One more thing." He turned back to Dawn with a smile. "I'll still be expecting to see you in the final round so we can have that battle of ours."

Dawn smiled. "I'll be looking forward to that. Don't worry, I'll make sure to get that spot."

With a wave, Trey headed back to Jubilife and Dawn continued her way to Sandgem Town.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, we got an interesting scene coming up here. The song choice for this is "Dearly Beloved" (the KH2 version of course) from KH2.)

* * *

Pikachu woke up to the sounds of the bird Pokemon chirping in the trees. He shook his head, trying to wake himself up. He noticed that the others were still asleep, and decided to do a little exploring. All of a sudden, he had that strange feeling that he was being watched.

He closed his eyes and lifted up his ears trying to pinpoint, but heard nothing. All of a sudden, he heard a rustle in the bushes and turned around and saw something scurry into the bushes. He walked slowly to the edge of the bushes and looked in them, but saw nothing. He then looked to the others, who were still asleep, and then went through the bushes.

*Once he got to the other side. He stopped in surprise. He was in what looked like a small valley, with a river in the middle of it, traveling east. It was certainly beautiful. He was about to go towards the river when he noticed something.

On the other side of the river stood another Pikachu. He could instantly that this one was a female. She was drinking from the river and then looked up, and that was when their eyes met. Pikachu was stunned by her appearance. He had never seen a Pikachu like her. While it didn't seem obvious, there was something about her that he felt attracted to. _"She's beautiful," _Pikachu thought. Beauty was just radiating off of her. Little did he know that she was having the same thoughts.

All of a sudden, the female Pikachu ran across the small river towards him, now making Pikachu a bit nervous. She stopped in front of him, still looking at him. Neither of them said anything, mostly because they didn't know what to say. They both felt an attractiveness towards one another, and they both got close to each other and soon their lips met.

Pikachu had never felt like this before. Sure he loved Ash and his friends, but this was a different love, a passionate love. Her fur had such a fragrance that attracted Pikachu even more, the smell of the forest, his once beloved home. They then broke the kiss, still looking at each other but now blushing deep red. All of a sudden, the female Pikachu had a look of panic on her face and quickly ran off into the bushes.

Pikachu just stood there, dazed and also confused. It seemed like a dream, and yet, it all felt so real. He then had a feeling that he would see her again.

* * *

Yuna ran through the forest and soon stopped, catching her breath. She couldn't believe what just happened. _"How could I do such a thing?" _she thought. _"I mean, I just practically went up to a stranger and kissed him." _Truth was, she had been spying on the Pikachu. It was strange, she had felt some sort of attractiveness towards him. Was this what her mother had meant? "Am I destined to fall in love like this?" she said. "But I don't even know him, and yet, I felt a deep passion for him, and he must've felt the same."

She did not even think there would be another like her in this region. They were all so different here. It was strange, but he had reminded her of home.

* * *

(A/N: And here's another one XD. The song here is "Hesitation" from KH2.)

* * *

"Well, isn't this delightful?" a voice suddenly said.

Yuna closed her eyes. "What do you want? I have no intention of speaking to you," she said angrily.

*Suddenly, another Pikachu appeared next to her, resembling her, but there was something evil about her. "What, now I can't even say hello?" she said, grinning evilly. "You really are trying to lock away the darkness in your heart, aren't you?"

"If you're trying to get to me, then you might as well stop here," Yuna said. "I've already told you I have no interest of opening my heart to darkness."

"Oh, but I believe you have," her dark side said. "If I recall, back when your poor mother died in that facility, you felt such hatred towards humans that it caused you great anger. You unleashed your anger on a poor innocent Pokemon, killing it in the process."

"That was an accident!" Yuna almost yelled. "I did not mean it."

"Maybe not, but the fact is, you took a life away," her dark side said. "So is that how you deal with such things? An eye for an eye?"

"Please.. stop," Yuna said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sure your parents would be proud of their daughter," her dark side said, laughing. "Mommy and Daddy's little girl, a killer."

Yuna leashed out with anger and attacked the Pikachu, but her attack only went through.

"Don't you see? I'm just an illusion created by your mind," her dark side said, amused. "Still, I'm sure Dawn wouldn't like to hear that her new friend has anger problems."

"Leave her out of this!" Yuna yelled.

"Well, well, well," her dark self said, "Seems that you have an interest in the human after all. And don't think I didn't notice the little scene between you and that other Pikachu."

"Perhaps with what I'm dealing with now is why I left her, but if she would ever need me, I would make sure to protect her!" Yuna said.

Her dark self laughed evilly. "That's too bad, since your friend is already in danger."

"What!?" Yuna said.

Her darker side nodded. "If you want to help her, I'd suggest you hurry."

Yuna gasped and quickly ran out towards she had last seen Dawn, hoping she wasn't too late.

Her darker half stood there smirking. "It's only a matter of time before you give yourself in, _Yuna_."

* * *

Pikachu couldn't possibly explain the feelings he had right now: love, confusion, desire, love. It didn't make any sense. Pikachu knew about love at first sight, but this was ridiculous. He was wondering why she had run off like that. Probably because of embarrassment, or shyness. He wish she could've stayed. Pikachu believe his own ears. _He was in love. _Well, it had to happen sometime, didn't it?

"Hey Pikachu, you alright buddy?" Ash asked him.

Pikachu looked back to him and smiled, saying "Pika pika," to assure him that he was okay.

It was a little later in the day and Ash, May, Drew, and Brock were heading on their way to Sandgem Town. May and Drew both decided to tag along, saying they needed to get some practicing in, but in truth, they both agreed they would help Ash get back Dawn.

"So May, I've been meaning to ask, how are things in Johto?" Ash asked her.

May smiled. "I'm glad you asked. Drew and I have both been rather busy with contests. It's gone back and forth between us two but we've both managed to get four ribbons."

"Four ribbons, huh?" Ash said. "Looks like this contest means more to you and Dawn included."

"Dawn has four ribbons as well?" May said. "Wow, she must've really gotten better as a coordinator."

"Better be careful with her May," Drew said, smiling. "Don't want to end up losing to her like last time." His face then scrunched up in pain as May slammed her shoe into his.

"Oh, don't worry Drew," May said. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

Ash and Brock laughed hesitantly and made sure in the future not to piss May off.

As they were making their way through the forest, they then saw a cabin nearby.

"Wonder who lives here?" Brock asked.

"Guess we could find out," Ash said as they headed to the log cabin. He knocked on the door and suddenly heard voices inside.

"Oh, for crying outloud!" someone said. The door opened and a man in his late twenties appeared. "Look, I don't want your-" he then stopped, once seeing the group. "Oh, sorry about that," he said, embarrassed. "I thought for a second you were those advertisers again."

"Advertisers?" May asked.

"Yeah, just some people from Jubilife wanting to put up signs around the area advertising the newest accessories they have there," the man said. "But I won't have the property I own around here covered with signs about Poketch's and such. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Carl, please come in."

They entered the cabin and it pretty much looked like your typical cabin, with a dining room, kitchen, fireplace, and a bedroom. "I don't get too many visitors often," Carl said. "So Mudkip and I are usually the only ones here."

They went into the kitchen and saw his companion Mudkip, who was sitting on one of the counters. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and went over to say hi to Mudkip, who seemed rather friendly.

"Wow, so how long have you had Mudkip?" Ash asked Carl.

"Well, we've been friends for awhile," Carl said. "He doesn't battle much since it's just the two of us, so he's always been a Mudkip, but that's alright because I'd like to keep him as one, isn't that right?"

"Mudkip!" Mudkip said happily.

"Oh, it's so cute!" May said. "I remember Brock had one when we were traveling in Hoenn."

"Yep," Brock said. "Except now he's a Marshtomp."

"So Carl, I'm sure you heard what happened in Jubilife then?" Ash said.

"Oh I heard alright, we could hear the battle from out here," Carl said. "But anyway, why don't we continue our conversation during lunch? Luckily, I'm making something right now."

"Great!" everyone said.

* * *

Dawn was making her way through the upper part of the forest when she realized she was in dire need of a bath. Well, not _dire _need. _"Well, when you're in a forest, where else can you go?" _Dawn thought. Luckily, there was a lake nearby and she took out her shower accessories and then took of her belt which held her Pokeballs. "Now Piplup, I'm leaving you in charge of guarding everyone, can you do that?"

"Piplup!" Piplup acknowledged, giving her a proper salute.

Dawn then headed towards the lake with a towel, shampoo and soap. Once she got there, she looked around and saw that no one, people or Pokemon, was around. She then got undressed and dipped into the lake.

Luckily, the water temperature was perfect, and Dawn could finally relax as she cleaned herself up. _"After what I've been through, I earned it," _she thought.

After about ten or fifteen minutes, she got out, dried herself, and got dressed. "Well, at least I'll only have to do this once since I can stay at the Pokemon Center in Sandgem Town," she said outloud as she brushed her hair.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, we have about three more songs for this chapter, one's another repeat, but it's not this one. This song will end up being a theme for a character, as you're going to find out. Anyway, the name of the song is "Sinister Shadows" from KH2.)

* * *

All of a sudden, she was quickly surrounded by six or seven Shadow Pokemon, six or seven more than she could handle. "You know, this is getting really old!" Dawn said, irritated. "I seriously hope you weren't watching me, you perverts!"

However, she had no Pokemon at her side, so she couldn't defend herself. *Suddenly, a yellowish blur appeared and quickly took out about half of them, leaving three remaining. The figure landed on the ground and Dawn recognized it as Yuna. _"Don't worry Dawn. This time I'll protect _you_."_

She quickly charged at the three figures with such speed that Dawn had never seen. She used Agility to take out one, use Iron Tail on the second, and finally use Volt Tackle on the third, destroying them in the blink of an eye. She then stood there, panting, ready for anything else to appear.

Dawn looked at the Pokemon in shock, but then smiled. "Yuna!" she said as the Pikachu jumped into her arms, hugging her. "I knew you hadn't left me behind. Say, you're a whole lot stronger than I would've thought. Are you interested in joining our team?"

At this rate, how could Yuna possibly say no? She nodded. Suddenly, an empty Pokeball fell out of Dawn's bag and rolled towards them. Dawn picked up the Pokeball and looked towards Yuna. "I hope you don't mind Pokeballs."

Yuna then laughed and shook her head before entering the Pokeball. Dawn smiled, looking at it. She then raised it in the air. "I did it! I caught a Pikachu!" she exclaimed happily.

She then returned back to where Piplup and her other Pokemon where. "Hey Piplup," Dawn said. "Check out the new teammate." She then called out Yuna and she appeared. "But I have to introduce you to everyone else!" She then called out the rest of her Pokemon and they all appeared and greeted Yuna with open arms.

Yuna was surprised at this. It seemed kind of strange to say, but it was almost like she had a family again.

* * *

Near where Dawn was, a figure in black appeared. Andrius looked around the forest area, which seemed unfamiliar to him. He was about to go out into the open but then looked at the clothes he was wearing. Knowing that this attire would not attract too many people, he then changed his outfit with a snap of his fingers. He then looked himself over, now looking like a regular person. "Hmm. There we go," he said, happy enough.

He then stopped for a second. He looked back down to what he was wearing and sighed. It had been too long since he was part of this world, wearing these clothes, smelling the fresh air, and capturing and training Pokemon. He shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of his mind. That was then, and this was now. Those days were over.

He then spotted Dawn nearby, and went over in his head how to act and talk like a regular trainer. Once he felt confident, he then went out into the open.

He was pretending to walk casually until he got near where Dawn. "Oh, hi there," he said to Dawn.

"Oh hi," Dawn said, a little surprised. "Do I know you at all?"

"Oh no, I'm just a regular trainer traveling through the woods," Andrius said. He then put out his hand. "My name is Andrius by the way."

"Dawn," she said, shaking his hand. "So what brings you out here?"

"Well, I heard some commotion around here and was curious with what was going on," Andrius said.

"Oh yeah, that was just Yuna here," Dawn said, with Yuna in her arms.

"Yuna, huh? That's a rather nice name," Andrius said, smiling.

Yuna looked the guy over, and for some reason felt uncomfortable around him.

"I'm actually feeling a little tired," Andrius said. "You mind if I sit here with you? That way we can get to know each other better."

"Sure," Dawn said.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, this is a song I've been waiting to play. Well, part of one at least. We've all seen the movie _The Dark Knight_, and absolutely love The Joker. Well, I decided to put that little intense part where it sounds like he's about to kill someone. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it by itself, but if you find the actual song "Why So Serious?" from the soundtrack, the first 1:10 is that part and honestly, I would stop when you get to 1:10, because thats when it ends pretty much.)

* * *

*He then took a seat beside her and put his plan into motion. "So, are you by yourself out here?"

"For right now, yeah," Dawn said.

"Right now?" Andrius said. "Are you saying you were with someone?"

"Well, yeah," Dawn said. "It was actually the three of us, but because of certain things I had to leave."

"You mind if I ask what it was?" Andrius asked.

Normally, Dawn wouldn't express personal stuff with strangers, but she had to tell someone and she felt like she could trust him. "No," she said. "You see, my one friend, I have feelings for him. I've had feelings for him for awhile and when I finally told him, he turned me down."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Andrius said.

"Oh no, it's fine," Dawn said.

Andrius was silent for a minute. This was the do or die part here. "Well, I think he should've said yes," he said, fiddling with something in his back pocket, which turned out to be a knife.

"Really?" Dawn said.

"Yeah," Andrius said. "I mean, you must seem like a real nice person and all. Probably a good trainer as well. Maybe he just doesn't think highly enough of you."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, looking at him confused.

"Well, maybe he just doesn't think you're good enough. Maybe he thinks he can find someone better than you and once he does maybe he'll the same about that person as you do about him," Andrius said.

"Oh I'm sure he doesn't think that," Dawn said.

"How sure are you?" Andrius said. "I mean, if he didn't think that, then don't you think he would've said yes?"

Dawn had never thought of it like that. She closed her eyes, and Andrius, smiling, saw that her hands had balled up into fists and were starting to shake.

Soon, her eyes opened and had a different look in them, one of anger and hatred. "I can't believe him!" she said. "After all I've done for him and this is what I get in return? How dare he?" She then looked back to Andrius. "I think I know what you mean now. Thanks for talking to me."

"Sure, no problem," Andrius said. "Well, I have to get going, but I'm sure we'll see each other again real soon."

He then left Dawn, who was now feeling anger. He turned right into the forest and once he got out of earshot, starting chuckling. "Well, that was easier than I thought," he said, twirling his knife before disappearing.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, last song here. I mentioned already that it's a repeat and the song is "Villains of a Sort.")

* * *

Lord Xanatos and four of his minions were meeting once again in his lair.

"Hmm, it seems that Andrius was successful with his mission," Xanatos said. "Now, I think you know as well as I do what needs to be done."

"And what is that, my lord?" Henrik said.

"It is time for the next part of our operations," Xanatos said. "We will now begin Phase 2."

The four of them looked at each other. They knew what Phase 2 was. It was good for them, but it was going to have terrible results on the people living in the world of light.

* * *

(A/N: Oh no! Dawn has been tricked! And what is this "Phase 2?" You'll find out soon enough. I'm kind of glad I found that Joker track. It really knows how to add suspense to something. :) )

FoxMcCloud7921


	12. Phase 2

(A/N: I apologize to my reviewers. Apparently the last scene of the last chapter kind of made them depressed. Don't worry, Dawn will be saved ;). I just needed to add a little twist to the plot that's all. By the way, apparently this is a huge forest. XD)

* * *

Chapter 12: Phase 2

"Well, thanks for having us over for lunch, Carl," Ash said.

"Yeah, that was delicious!" May agreed.

"No problem," Carl said. "Just be careful out there, the woods have been rather bizarre lately."

"Doesn't have to tell us twice," Drew muttered once they left.

They then continued on their way. "So Brock, how much longer do you think it will take to get to Sandgem Town?" May asked.

"At this rate, possibly by sometime tomorrow," Brock said. "That is, if we don't have anymore interruptions."

"And the chances of that happening are pretty high," Ash muttered.

"But wait a minute," Drew said. "How exactly can we stop these "things" from appearing if we don't even know the source?"

"Well, Palkia did say there was a group of people looking for me," Ash said. "And so far, we've only ran into one, so I guess if we dispose of the rest of them, maybe it might help."

"I still fight it hard to believe Ash killed someone in a sword fight," May said, smirking. "That's not very "Ash-like" to me."

"You'll find out soon, trust me," Brock said. "I couldn't believe my own eyes either."

"So we're just going to walk around and let them come to us like bait?" Drew said. "I've seriously got a bad feeling about this."

"Hey, I thought I was the one who always got worried?" May said, going up against Drew.

"Um, yeah, right," Drew said, blushing.

* * *

Yuna all of a sudden felt a different feeling for her new trainer. Was it... _fear_? Something didn't seem right here. Dawn had suddenly gone from a kind and sweet-hearted girl to a more aggressive and angry one.

"Pikapi?" She asked her.

Dawn sighed. "Look, I'll be fine. If Ash doesn't think I'm as good enough as a trainer as I should be, then I'm just going to have to train harder."

Yuna sighed. Whoever this Ash was, she hoped he will be able to get to her.

Dawn had been keeping Piplup in his Pokeball for sometime. She knew if he saw her new attitude and knew what she had heard, that he would object to it, and right now, she didn't want to hear it.

They then noticed what looked like a Torterra ahead of them. Dawn then realized that it was Paul's, as he was there next to it. He then noticed Dawn and looked away. "Oh, it's you again," he said. "So, are you here to verbally assault me again about "how such a rough trainer I am?""

But Dawn said nothing. Paul eyed her suspiciously. "Well, are you going to say anything?"

Dawn didn't quite feel comfortable with what she was about to do but she had no choice. "No Paul, I won't. I'm here because I realize how weak a trainer I am. And seeing the experience you have, I want to see how you train your Pokemon and learn from you."

Even Paul seemed a little surprised by this. "In other words, you're asking to accompany me then?"

"Yeah," Dawn said, not looking at him.

Paul was silent for about a minute. "Fine," he said. "But here are some things you need to know. Don't think you'll improve in just one day; if you baby your Pokemon, you'll get nowhere with training; and mostly, don't slow us down, or interfere with my training."

Yuna found herself not liking this trainer at all. How could Dawn want to accompany with him, or even train with him?

"Fine," Dawn said.

Paul nodded. "I was going to have Torterra here train, but since you're here, I guess I could use some practice. Now, do you have any Pokemon that need training?"

"Well, I think my Mamoswine needs some work," Dawn said. Some isn't exactly the best word for it.

"I didn't know you had a Mamoswine," Paul said, impressed.

"Well, I'm not too exactly thrilled about it," Dawn said. She then called out Mamoswine, who just fell asleep in front of her.

"Pathetic," Paul said. "This is what I meant when I said that you cannot baby your Pokemon. Very well, you're going to have to find a way to make it listen to you."

Dawn sighed. "I'll try." She then looked to Mamoswine. "Come on Mamoswine, we have to do some training." However, as expected, Mamoswine did not even stir. Dawn sweatdropped, looking at Paul. "Please Mamoswine, I need you right now." But still, Mamoswine did not stir. Dawn, becoming irritated then yelled, "MAMOSWINE GET UP RIGHT NOW AND TRAIN!" That then got a response as Mamoswine opened an eye, and then got up.

Dawn was a little surprised. It wasn't like her to yell at her own Pokemon, but it seemed like she didn't have much choice.

"Well, at least you got Mamoswine to respond," Paul said. "Now let's see how powerful it really is. Torterra, use Leaf Storm."

Torterra then fired a barrage of leaves at Mamoswine, but it didn't seem to affect him as much.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Dawn said. "Mamoswine is weak against grass-types."

"Well, your Mamoswine didn't seem affected by it," Paul said. "Besides, the main point of being at a disadvantage is to find a technique which you can use to give _yourself _anadvantage."

_"Well, it makes sense," _Dawn thought. "Alright Mamoswine, use Ancient Power!"

"Torterra, use Hyper Beam!" Paul said. Mamoswine conjured a large ball of energy and sent it towards Torterra as it countered with Hyper Beam. The two attacks met, but Mamoswine's proved to be stronger as it cut through the beam and hit Torterra, knocking him back. "Your Mamoswine is strong indeed," Paul said.

Mamoswine looked at Torterra with a fierce glare, while Torterra returned it. Dawn smiled, realizing she was finally getting to her Pokemon. Paul then called back Torterra. "That's enough for now," he said. "We need to get going before it gets dark."

Dawn nodded. She called back Mamoswine and then followed Paul. Yuna, who was in Dawn's arms, was now afraid for Dawn.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, time for another song. This one is called "Disquieting" from KH: COM I believe.)

* * *

Carl was sorting through some of the things in his room. "It's definitely nice to have some company around here now and then, huh Mudkip?"

"Mudkip mud!" Mudkip said, agreeing.

"It's strange though," he said. "With all what's been going on in the forest, and Jubilife. I mean, who could be behind all of this?"

"Hmm I wonder indeed?" he looked over and saw that there was a woman at his bedroom door accompanied by a figure in black and an Alakazam.

"W-who are you?" Carl said.

*"The name is Alicia," she said. "I'm looking for some friends of mine. Four people, one of them had a Pikachu."

Carl did not feel comfortable with this woman. "Four people with a Pikachu?" he said. "No, I haven't seen anyone in days honestly."

"Oh, I see," she said. She turned around, and without them noticing, nodded to Alakazam. Alakazam then used Pyschic to pin both Carl and Mudkip against the wall, choking them. She then turned around. "Now, maybe I didn't make myself clear the first time, so I'll ask you again. Did you see four people come by, along with a Pikachu?"

"What do you want with them?" Carl said softly, his windpipe being compressed.

"I have my orders," Alicia said. "So I suggest you tell me, or else your little Mudkip will pay for your mistake."

"Mudkip!" Mudkip said to him, with tears in it's eyes, pleading Carl not to say anything.

"Alright, alright!" he said, gritting his teeth. "They went west into the forest."

"Good. Now see, that wasn't too hard was it?" Alicia said. She then nodded to Alakazam, who lifted Mudkip into the air and threw it against the wall, rather brutally. Mudkip bounced off the wall and fell to the ground. It didn't get up.

"No! Mudkip!" Carl yelled. He then looked to Alicia. "But I told you everything!"

Alakazam then tightened it's grip against his neck, breaking it and he fell to the ground dead. "I told you, I have my orders," Alicia said. She then looked over to Raphael, who was staring at the dead Mudkip. "Come on Raphael, we have to go after them now."

Raphael looked to her and nodded. The two then disappeared into thin air.

* * *

(A/N: :'( That was very hard for me to do. I didn't want to kill the poor Mudkip but I had to, for certain purposes. THAT BITCH! Sorry, I'm a huge Mudkip fan, but we'll continue on.)

* * *

Meanwhile, in Slateport City, in the Hoenn region, the city laid in ruin. The enemy had attacked out of nowhere and attacked the city with a _blitzkrieg _method. One of the men in the buildings woke up suddenly, covered in ash and smoke, and in pain. He looked around and saw that other people were sprawled around the room he was in, maybe unconscious, or maybe dead. All of a sudden, he heard footsteps and pretended to be unconscious while keeping his eyes barely open.

He saw about four or five of the creatures in the room then, two of them carrying some sort of round object. They placed it on the ground, and they then left the room. It was silent for a minute, but then he heard a beeping sound. He then realized it was coming from the round object. With horror, he now figured out what they were doing. They were bombing the building. Unfortunately, he would only be part right. The beeping increased in speed and he realized it was the end. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow.

He was wrong because the bomb did not just obliterate the building, but _the entire city_. It was like a seismic charge, a blue wave of sound went through the entire city, destroying all the buildings and the city went from ruins, to absolutely nothing. This was Phase 2.

* * *

About an hour later, at the Jubilife City Police Department, Captain Cresswell got an unexpected call.

"Captain Cresswell speaking," he said, while smoking a cigarette. They were the only thing that calmed him down these days.

"Good afternoon Captain, this is Captain Johnson from Fortree City in Hoenn," a man said on the other line.

"Pleasure to meet you Captain," Cresswell said. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I'm calling because I have some grave news," Johnson said.

"Johnson, do I really want to hear this?" Cresswell said.

"We got reports about an hour ago saying that Slateport City here in Hoenn has been completely destroyed," Johnson said.

Cresswell sighed, while putting his one hand up to his forehead. "What exactly do you mean by 'destroyed?'"

"It's been completely blown off the map. There's nothing left," Johnson said. "They attacked without warning, and in such a panic we tried to evacuate everyone but weren't successful."

"So you're saying that everyone there is..."

"Most likely," Johnson said. "Nothing is still standing there. Whatever they used, it was able to wipe out the entire city in one blow."

"One blow? But we have nothing that could attribute to that magnitude," Cresswell said. "Unless, our enemy has something we don't."

"Looks that way," Johnson said.

"Alright Johnson, listen and listen good. I want you to call every city and town in Hoenn, telling them that we are putting in a state of emergency. No one leaves or enters any of the cities or towns. I want all available police forces to set up checkpoints everywhere. I'm not going to lose anymore lives damn it, you understand?"

"Yes, Captain," Johnson said, "I'll alert all personnel."

Cresswell hung up the phone. _"What is this world coming to? What do they want with us?"

* * *

_Drew suddenly felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and read the message that had been sent to him. He then stopped in his tracks, reading the message over and over. May had noticed Drew behind him and looked back. "Drew, what's wrong?"

Drew had a shocked look on his face, and was shaking slightly. "Slateport City," he uttered.

"What about it?" May said.

"It's gone," Drew said. "Slateport City has been completely destroyed."

"What!?" May said, going over to Drew and looking at his phone. The message described what happened, explaining all the details. After reading it, May was feeling the same way. "I don't believe it."

"Wait, what do you mean 'completely destroyed?'" Ash asked.

"There's nothing left of it," Drew said. "It's all gone."

"That's horrible!" Brock said.

"Wait, if they attacked Slateport City, then they'll be attacking Hoenn," May said. "That means they'll be attacking... home." She started turning back as she said the last word but Drew grabbed her arm.

"Wait May! You can't go back there!" Drew said. "It's too dangerous."

"But my family is in danger!" May said. "If I don't hurry, I won't be able to reach them in time."

"May, you know how far we are from Hoenn?" Drew said. "It'll take days to get back there."

"I don't care!" May yelled, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't lose my mom, dad, or even Max!" She then grabbed Drew and started sobbing into his chest.

Drew then lifted up her head by her chin and looked into her eyes. "May, how do you think I feel? I have family back in LaRousse City, and they could easily be next. I hope they don't get attacked, but all I can worry about now is stopping those involved in all of this."

"Oh Drew!" May said, giving him a hug, while Drew rubbed her back gently, trying to calm her down. Once they broke the hug, May put her head down. "They did a horrible thing to those in Slateport. I pray to all who lost their lives." She then looked up and had a fire in her eyes never seen before. "But if they EVER try to lay one finger on my family, so help me I. WILL. MAKE. THEM. PAY! DAMN THEM ALL!"

Drew was surprised and scared at the same time with May's reaction, but he quickly took her hands. "Don't worry, May. We'll both make them pay. I'll never leave your side."

"That is, if you make it to that point." They turned around and saw two robed figures standing before them, one of them smiling evilly.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I can tell you right now that this is not going to end well. Trust me, you'll see why next chapter. So, we now see what Phase 2 really is. Hey, I never said this was going to be a happy story. Death becomes a common theme in this. Oh yeah, if you don't know what I mean by seismic charge, you've seen Star Wars right? Those things that blow asteroids to pieces? Yeah, think like that except instead of asteroids you have buildings.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	13. An Old Friend Revealed

(Alright, we're already starting off with a song here. The song is "Face It!" from KH: COM. Oh yeah, actually I'm going to be using "Why So Serious" again, XD. Remember, just the first 1:10.)

* * *

Chapter 13: An Old Friend Revealed

"Who are you!?" Ash demanded.

Alicia sighed. "A nickel for everytime I've heard that," she muttered. "We, Chosen One, have been sent to eliminate you from the face of the Earth so we can finally proceed with our plans."

"Oh great, these guys again," Brock said.

However, no one had anticipated what May would do next. She then walked over to Alicia angrily. "So you're the ones involved with this!" she yelled. "I swear if you do anything to my-"

But she was rudely interrupted as Alicia slapped her across the face rather hard, knocking her to the ground. "Do not pester me, child!" she said. "You're all just becoming a nuisance to me and our organization!"

That move, however, proved to be a mistake. *She got up and suddenly a red glow began to form around her. She then started to shake violently. "You little bitch," she then said suddenly. She looked to Alicia with anger even more scarier then before. "NOW I"M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!" And before she could react, May pounced on Alicia and started to punch her in the face.

The others, even Raphael, sweatdropped. "Uh, May?" Drew said, not even sure what to do at this point.

*Alicia, becoming enraged, threw May off of her and pulled out her knife, putting it right to May's neck while keeping a hold on her. "Thats enough!" she said, pissed off.

May then realized the position she was in and stopped struggling.

Ash and Drew were about to make a move, but Brock quickly stopped them.

"That's right. I wouldn't make another move unless you want to see your poor friend hurt, or even in a worse state," Alicia said. She then looked to May. "You know, you remind me a lot of myself when I was younger," she said. "Rather spoiled and also a brat. I thought my parents loved me so much that they could and would get anything for me. Anything I wanted. But how wrong I was! I came into reality, realizing you don't always get what you want. Maybe it might be time for you to learn that as well."

May only responded by spitting in her face.

Alicia smiled while wiping her face off. "Well, I can see that that won't be simple enough for you to do, so maybe I should just end your life here, right now so you can end up staying a spoiled brat for the rest of eternity. And then, I'll make sure to take care of your friends, one by one!"

May closed her eyes tightly, waiting for death to come and take her, but before Alicia could do anything, a small orb of blue light whizzed by and knocked the knife out of her hand.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, here's now a new song. It's "Riku's Theme" from KH2 and will, yes, be another theme for one of the characters.)

* * *

*"What the!?" Alicia said, surprised. She then turned to Raphael, who conjured up the attack. "Raphael? What is the meaning of this?"

Raphael looked at her for a second, and then lowered his hood for the first time, revealing a familiar face.

"What!? A Lucario!?" Alicia almost yelled. "What have you done with Raphael?"

The Pokemon, who happened to be Lucario himself, looked up to her and smiled. "What are you talking about? I was Raphael the whole time."

Alicia quickly became enraged. "You-you tricked me!" she yelled. "You'll pay with your own death!" She quickly grabbed the knife she had and charged at Lucario.

Lucario remained calm but then using Metal Claw and great speed, he charged at Alicia and went right through her.

Alicia gasped quickly, and fell to her knees, a gaping wound at her side and was starting to bleed. "I can't believe it," she said. "I was fooled the entire time." She then looked to May and smiled. "I haven't told you the entire story. The day that reality hit me, was also the day I lost my parents."

**Flashback**

_Alicia was making her way back from school. She was fourteen at the time. As she making her way back home, she then noticed smoke coming from where her house was. Feeling panic, she then started running home. Unfortunately, her fears came true as she got to her home, seeing it in flames and firefighters trying to put it out. _

_"Mom? Dad?" she yelled. But she did not see them._

_"Alicia!" she looked over and saw her best friend Matthew coming up to her._

_"Matthew, have you seen my mom and dad?" Alicia asked him urgently._

_"Alicia," Matthew said. "The fire came out of nowhere. No one's seen them come out yet."_

_Alicia gasped and was about to head into the burning building but Matthew grabbed her arm. "Alicia, no!" he said. "It might be too late. Besides, it's too dangerous."_

_Alicia fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Matthew knelt down beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. She then quickly responded by giving him a hug, while crying into his shoulder._

"Thats when everything changed for me," Alicia said, tears in her eyes. "I felt there was nothing else I could do and I opened my heart to darkness. Now, I regret doing such a thing."

"Alicia..." May said, now feeling sympathy towards her.

"Now there is only one thing left to do," Alicia said. She took out a Pokeball and called her Alakazam. Her Pokemon looked to her in surprise. "It's time for me to go, old friend. You were the first Pokemon I ever had. Now I release you and I can only hope that you live your life in the fullest." She then took the Pokeball she had and smashed it against the ground breaking it. "Now go!"

Alakazam looked to her and nodded, and then teleported to a different location.

Alicia then felt pain and fell to her side. She then looked to the Aura Pokemon. "Lucario," she said. "Thank you. I realize I've done many terrible things, but I'm glad before I die I realize what I've done and I feel total regret. Thank you for helping me see the truth."

Lucario nodded. Alicia then looked to the sky. "Matthew, forgive me. I shouldn't have ever brought you into this," she said. She then closed her eyes and was still. She then disappeared in a flash of light.

Ash and Drew quickly went over to May, to make sure she was alright. "May, are you okay?" Ash asked her.

May didn't answer, but only looked towards Lucario. She then had tears in her eyes and quickly ran over to him, giving a hug. "Lucario," she said. "Thank you so much."

Lucario smiled, returning the hug. "I could not possibly let an old friend of mine get hurt," he said. He then looked to Ash. "It's been awhile, Ash."

"Lucario," Ash said, surprised. "I don't believe it. How are you still alive?"

Lucario chuckled. "You know I never really died, Ash."

"But, you gave up your life force to save the Tree of Beginning," May said.

"True. It's a little difficult to explain. You see, once I disappeared, I was transported to the world of Twilight. You could say it's a sort of limbo between the worlds of the living and the after life. Strangely enough, the world of twilight also is the balancing part between the world of light and the world of darkness."

"Okay, I'm confused now," Drew said.

"So, how were you able to come back?" Brock asked.

"Sir Aaron told me I was to return to help you Ash, aid you in your quest," Lucario said. "But, also because he believed that I had much more to fulfill in life."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, it's that time again. The song choice here will be "Stickerbrush Symphony" (or Bramble Blast as some people call it) from Brawl. Actually, it's funny how I found this song but someone called it "Story of a Hero" XD. Well, that definitely sounds like Lucario.)

* * *

**Flashback**

*_Lucario then found himself in an unknown region in Hoenn. He took a deep breath, catching the scent of the clean air. Knowing he had to find Ash, he quickly made his through the region, gliding swiftly through the trees, and jumping from cliff to cliff. He felt so alive again, even though technically he was now. The sky was blue, the sun shining, and he saw many types of Pokemon. It felt so good to be home._

"But wait a minute, why were you with those people?" May asked.

"Well, mostly to get information on them, but also so I could keep an eye on you," Lucario said. "Amazingly enough, they never seemed to notice." He then realized something. "Wait a minute, where's Max? Isn't he usually with you?"

May smiled. "He's now starting his own adventure in Hoenn." She then frowned. "Max..."

"Don't worry May," Drew said. "We'll stop them and everyone will be fine. What exactly did they do?"

"They call it "Phase 2,"" Lucario said. "They placed some sort of bomb powerful enough to destroy an entire city."

"So you've been there then?" Ash said.

Lucario nodded. "I can lead you there, but there's only one way we can cross into the world of darkness. We must head to Sandgem Beach."

"Well, that works out perfectly for us," Ash said. "We were heading that way anyway."

"Yeah, and if Dawn's there, she can come with us," Brock said.

Lucario looked confused. "Who is this Dawn?"

May smiled. "Ash can explain on the way."

* * *

Mathias had tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe it. She was gone, the one he had loved for so long. But even though he loved her, she had been his friend for so long.

**Flashback**

_"Alicia, where are you?" Thirteen-year-old Matthew called. They were in his parents' backyard, consisting of many large hedges and bushes, making it a maze that you could easily get lost in._

_"I'm over here, Matthew!" she said playfully, thirteen as well._

_He smiled and went over to where he heard her voice. However, she still couldn't be seen. "Oh come on, Alicia, you know I'll never find you at this rate," he said, sarcastically. He then heard a rustle next to him, and suddenly, threw his hand into the bush. "Gotcha!" he said, as he heard her giggle. He then pulled her out and they looked at each other, realizing the position they were in, his arms on her __shoulder and waist, and hers around his neck._

_They then moved in closer and their lips met. After they broke the kiss, Alicia looked at him, surprised. "Matthew..." she said._

_He smiled while brushing her hair back. "Don't worry Alicia, I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens. I'll always protect you."_

But he couldn't save her this time. He knew he should've gone with her, at least he could've helped her. But it was too late now.

"Mathias?" he looked up and saw Henrik staring at him. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Mathias said.

"It's about Alicia, isn't it?" Henrik said.

Mathias closed his eyes and tears poured out of his eyes. "I just can't believe she's gone. I loved her so much." He then opened his eyes and they had anger inside of them. "They'll pay for what they've done. I'll make sure they suffer personally."

"Hold on," Henrik said, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Don't go throwing yourself right at them. You can't underestimate them. Look, I know you're depressed about this, and you deserve to kill them, but we can't afford to lose you if something goes wrong. I'll take care of them, and I'll be doing it for Alicia."

Mathias nodded. "You were always a good friend, Henrik," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Henrik smiled. "Friends to the end, as we've always known."

* * *

(A/N: Yay, Lucario is back. Unfortunately, this was another sad chapter. Oh well. Anyway, I hope you liked this and stay tuned for more soon.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	14. Training

(A/N: Okay, I've been doing some thinking and brainstorming and I've decided that after this story to do a _Pokemon 3_. This one will be different since it'll have only OC's, but everything else will be the same. And no, it won't be a sequel, and no, I'm not copying off Final Fantasy, even though that series is similar to mine as it branches off. I already have some of the characters thought up, but I'm not giving anything away yet, sorry :(.)

* * *

Chapter 14: Training

It had soon gotten dark, and Ash and his friends decided to stop and set up camp. However, there was something on his mind, something he had been meaning to ask. He looked over to where Lucario was and saw that he was meditating away from the group, like he used to in their last adventure.

Hoping not to disturb the Pokemon, he went over to him. "Hey Lucario," he said. Lucario opened one of his eyes. "You mind if I ask you something?"

"I don't see why not," Lucario said, now both eyes open.

"Well, I'm sure you know about my encounter with Palkia, right?" Ash asked.

"Right," Lucario said.

"And, well, you know how you said my aura is comparable to Sir Aaron's?" Ash said.

"Right," Lucario said again.

"Well, maybe I can use it to my advantage," Ash said. "Would you be willing to teach me how to use it at will?"

Lucario thought about it for a minute. He then smiled. Seems like the student has become the mentor. "Very well," he said. "You do know it will take time to learn such a power. It took me months to get to they way I am now."

"I understand," Ash said.

"Well, I guess now is a good time to start then," Lucario said. "Take a seat by me."

Ash nodded and sat alongside Lucario, cross-legged. May noticed the two sitting side by side and was rather confused. "Um Brock? What's Ash doing?"

Brock looked over and saw him, appearing to be meditating. "Who knows?"

"Now," Lucario said. "Empty your mind of all thoughts and feelings and let your aura take control."

Ash kept his eyes closed and cleared his mind of everything. All of a sudden, a blue glow surrounded his body. Lucario opened one of his eyes and glanced over and smiled, seeing that he was already making progress.

"Good," he said. "Now, can you sense anything around you?"

While still having his eyes closed, Ash looked to see if he could see anything. He noticed that he could see even with his eyes closed, but everything looked different. He could see May, Drew, and Brock, but only the outlines of their forms. "I see everything, but in a different vision," Ash said.

"Yes, that's your aura, guiding you," Lucario said. "With it, you can see things the naked eye cannot." He then stood up. "That's enough for tonight. It takes time to master your aura, and it's also good to not overuse your power. Your aura is still, yet I sense you've used it since our last encounter."

"Right," Ash said. "I used it to help rescue a Riolu from capture."

"I see," Lucario said.

The group then had dinner, which was mostly eaten in silence. While the other Pokemon had their usual Pokemon food, Lucario went around looking for berries, since they were part of his diet.

A couple of hours later, it was starting to get late and everyone decided to turn in, that is except for one.

Lucario stood in silence, staring at the full moon above him. It was strange, being in this world once again. For generations, he had been trapped inside Sir Aaron's staff, watching the world as it changed. He was used to living in a different time, and a different place. The land was the same, but the world has changed. It had been about five days since he had returned, and he immediately had to go undercover. That world... it gave even him shivers down his spine.

"Lucario?" He looked back and saw Ash staring at him. "Is something wrong?"

Lucario smiled and shook his head. "No," he said. "Just been thinking."

"About what?" Ash asked, going over and standing next to him.

"You know that because of fate, I saw five hundred years pass by me," Lucario said. "I should be dead right now."

"Five hundred years," Ash said, amazed. "But how could you still be alive even when we first met?"

"The staff I was in, somehow stopped my aging," Lucario said. "I cannot easily explain it, really. I guess Sir Aaron knew that by trapping me, I would be released in a better time."

"Lucario," Ash said. "You've been to that world haven't you?"

"Yes," Lucario said. "It's different from here. I hope your Pokemon are strong Ash, because I don't know if they could handle it."

"What do you mean?" Ash said.

"It's strange," Lucario said. "When I was there, all I felt was discomfort and uneasiness. I think that explains why there are no Pokemon there. Real ones at least."

"No Pokemon?" Ash said.

Lucario nodded. "I remember Sir Aaron telling me a story of old. Back in ancient times, it was believed the world of darkness was seen as a prison, a place where evil souls go being banished by the gods. Those who did not follow the will of the gods were exiled there for eternity. Unfortunately, it happened to many people during that time."

"That sounds rather harsh," Ash said. "And those who were banished?"

"They just adjusted to the new lifestyle," Lucario said. "Always darkness. It changed them, mentally and physically. My only guess is that those who live there are angry at the gods for their banishment and wish to destroy the lives of humans and Pokemon alike in this world."

"Well, that's not going to happen!" Ash said, raising his fist into the air. "Not on my watch."

Lucario smiled. "You haven't changed at all, Ash, have you?"

"Well, you know what they say, old habits die hard," Ash said, chuckling.

Lucario nodded. "It's best if you get some sleep now," he said. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Right," Ash said. He started walking back to his sleeping bag, but then turned back. "Night Lucario."

Lucario only smiled in response as he returned his gaze to the moon.

* * *

(A/N: YES! FINALLY I'M GOING TO BE USING SOME FINAL FANTASY MUSIC! Anyway, the name of the song coming up is "Twilight" from FFX.)

* * *

Drew woke up the next morning in his tent, feeling a little tired. He looked over and saw May next to him, sleeping peacefully. He smiled, while placing a kiss on her forehead. She then responded by placing her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. He sighed happily, remembering the day when he first asked her to come with him.

**Flashback**

_Drew was staring up at the sunset. Another day gone by and another contest won. It wasn't easy __though. To no surprise, he and May were in the final round. He figured that he would meet her here. After all, they both came to Johto around the same time. The battle was definitely close, but Drew was able to squeak by, even though he could easily tell that May has improved._

_"Hey Drew!" He looked up and saw May running over to him._

_He smiled. "Hi May."_

_"I wanted to congratulate you again on your win," May said. "You earned it."_

_"You were pretty good yourself, May," he said. "I may have won, but only barely."_

_May giggled. "Oh Drew, you're so modest. Don't worry, I'll have plenty of chances to win more ribbons."_

_"Right," Drew said, nodding._

_"Well, I guess it's time for me to get going then," May said. She then looked to Drew. "It was nice seeing you again, Drew."_

_"Yeah, you too," Drew said. He watched her walk away and something inside of him, something he's felt plenty of times before, told him to stop her. "Wait, May!"_

_She turned around and looked at him in confusion. "What is it, Drew?"_

_Drew was starting to blush. "Um. Well, I was wondering if... you wanted to come along with me. Travel with me, I mean."_

_May then started to blush as well. "Well, I..." she started to say. She then smiled. "Sure, Drew. I would love to accompany you."_

He had finally asked her. He had been wanting to for awhile, but she had been traveling with Ash and he had a feeling she wasn't willing to leave yet. But now that she had been traveling alone, it seemed like the best time to ask her.

May then opened her eyes slowly and looked up to Drew with a smile on her face. "Morning Drew," she said softly.

"Morning May," Drew said, kissing her on the lips. However, once he had done that, he didn't want to stop then. May, who opened her eyes in surprise, starting kissing him back. He then placed his tongue into her mouth, while she did the same as she put her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist.

May then gave a slight shudder as she felt his hands go up her back inside of her shirt. Alarms then went off in her head as she had a feeling she knew what he would next. "Wait, Drew," she said, breaking away from him.

"What's wrong May?" Drew said.

"Look, I know we're in a relationship and all," she said. "But, I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for this yet. At least, right now I don't think I am."

"Oh, I understand," Drew said. "Sorry."

May laughed. "Don't be. We just have to take it slow first, and then work our way up."

"Right," Drew said. His stomach then rumbled, causing him to sweatdrop. "Now that I think about it I am feeling rather hungry now," he said, grinning sheepishly.

"I think I might be rubbing off a little on you," May said, smiling.

"Oh no," Drew said. "I still don't quite have the stomach you have." That got him a pillow in the face.

"Come on," she said. "Let's see if Brock is up yet making breakfast."

Once they got out though, something strange caught their eyes.

"What in the world?" they both said at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Ash said, waking up, along with Brock.

*"Look at the sky," May said.

Ash looked up, and quickly noticed. The sky, which was usually blue and cloudless, was now dark with clouds covering it. It was almost as if dusk was settling in already.

"It's twilight." the others looked over to Lucario, who was already awake.

"Twilight?" Ash said.

Lucario nodded. "This is not good. If this is happening now, then that means the darkness is starting to take over."

"Take over?" Brock said.

Lucario then looked to the others. "It won't be long before the world of light is cast in shadow. And once that happens, all hope will be lost."

"Which means we better hurry to Sandgem Beach," Ash said. He then looked over to his companion. "You ready for this, buddy? At this point, it's only going to get tougher and tougher."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said, raising a fist. He wasn't afraid of any danger.

"Well, we better eat a quick breakfast and then get going," Brock said.

And that's what they did, although a lot quicker than usual. At this point in time, anything could happen.

"Alright, are we all set?" Ash said to everyone. They nodded. "Well, let's get a move on then." However, there then came a quick change of plans.

"Ash Ketchum!"

Everyone looked behind them and there stood Dawn, accompanied by no other than-

"Paul!?" Ash and Brock both said.

"You seem rather surprised," Paul said calmly.

"Dawn, what are you doing following Paul?" Ash said.

"To challenge you, that's what!" Dawn said angrily.

"Challenge me? What are you talking about?" Ash said.

"Oh don't even try to play stupid with me Ash," Dawn said. "I always knew you saw me as a weak and amateur trainer."

"What!?" Ash said, surprised. "I have never said those things to you!"

"Maybe not, but I'm sure you meant it!" Dawn yelled.

"Dawn, where is this coming from?" Brock said.

"Don't butt in Brock! This doesn't concern you!" Dawn said.

Ash had never seen Dawn this upset before. "Dawn, what's going on here?"

"I'm challenging you Ash, that's what's going on here!" Dawn said. "I want to prove to you how strong I am. That's why I had Paul helping me train. So, are you going to battle or not?"

Pikachu then looked to his companion, who had his head down in thought. All of a sudden, he looked to Dawn with a determined look on his face. "Alright Dawn, if it's a battle you want, then it's a battle you got!"

* * *

(A/N: Oh boy! This is it! The big moment. I wonder how this will turn out. Well, you'll have to find out next chapter, bwahahahaha!)

FoxMcCloud7921


	15. Mentor vs Student

(A/N: Alright, the moment we've all been waiting for, myself included. I had found a song for this, but had to decide between two versions of it. The song is called "Battle With Seymour" from Final Fantasy X and of course there are two versions, the regular song from the game and the Black Mages version. I had flip-flopped a lot between the two but finally decided to stick with the original, as it seems to fit the battle better. Anyway, let's get on with this story.)

* * *

Chapter 15: Mentor vs. Student

*_"This is not what I had in mind. I don't want to battle Dawn, but if I win, maybe I can get through to Dawn and see what's going on here," _Ash thought. _"_If _I happen to win."_ He looked down to Pikachu, who nodded to him.

"Good, that's the Ash I know," Dawn said. "How about a three on three battle?"

"That's fine with me," Ash said.

"As you'll find out, Ash, I've gotten much stronger," Dawn said. "Now, Pachirisu, come on out!" She called her first Pokemon and Pachirisu appeared, ready for battle.

"Pachirisu, huh?" Ash said. "Alright then, Chimchar, I choose you!" A flash of light and Chimchar appeared, ready as well.

"We'll start things off then," Dawn said. "Alright Pachirisu, start off with Quick Attack!"

Ash waited before saying, "Chimchar, use Fire Spin!" Chimchar then spewed out a spiral of fire towards Pachirisu.

"Dodge it!" Dawn said. Pachirisu was able to dodge it, but barely. "Now use Sweet Kiss!"

Ash gasped, realizing what her plan was. "Chimchar, get out of there!" But it was too late. Pachirisu already landed her attack on Chimchar, who was now stunned and had hearts coming out of his eyes.

"Now use Super Fang!" Pachirisu then sped towards Chimchar and hit him directly with the attack, knocking him down and out for good.

"Wow, Dawn sure had improved," May said. "But why does she want to battle Ash so badly?"

"I don't know," Brock said, who looked over to Paul, who was watching the battle with interest.

"Chimchar!" Ash said. He went over to his companion. "You did well, buddy. You deserve a good rest." After calling him back, he looked to Dawn. "You're right Dawn, you have gotten better."

Dawn gasped for a second as she felt a blush coming onto her face. But she quickly shook those thoughts out. "Whatever Ash, just call out your next Pokemon."

"Fine," Ash said. "Alright Grotle, I choose you!" There was a flash of light and Ash's large grass-type appeared. "Now Grotle, use razor leaf!" Grotle then shot large leaves towards Pachirisu, much larger than when it was just a Turtwig.

"Dodge it, Pachirisu!" Dawn said. Pachirisu tried, but she caught, getting hit around by the attack as if she was in a pinball machine.

"Now use Energy Ball!" Ash said. Grotle then conjured up a large energy ball and sent it towards Pachirisu, making a direct hit and knocking her out.

"No, Pachirisu!" Dawn said, going to her Pokemon. She then picked her up and smiled. "You did well, enjoy a good rest," she said, calling her back. She then glared at Ash. "This battle isn't even close to being over!"

"That's what I like to hear," Ash said, grinning.

"Now, Mamoswine, it's your turn!" Dawn said. Her mammoth Pokemon appeared.

_"Mamoswine, huh?" _Ash thought. _"Grotle has the advantage here, despite size." _"Now Grotle, use Energy Ball once more!"

"Counter it with Ice Shard!" Dawn said. The two balls of energy met and collided, causing a small explosion. "Now use Ice Fang!" Mamoswine's fangs turned blue and two bolts of ice went straight for Grotle and hit him directly, causing a critical hit.

"Grotle, you okay?" Ash said. Grotle could barely stand up, but Ash had an idea. "Grotle, now use Synthesis!" Grotle's body started to glow as he started to recover. Ash looked over to Dawn and saw that she was smirking.

"Nice try, Ash," she said. "Mamoswine, now use Hail!" All of a sudden, a storm appeared, blocking out what remained of the sun, and Grotle could no longer recover. "You see, I figured you would've had Grotle recover, which is why I got Mamoswine to learn Hail."

Ash couldn't help but smile. "I'm impressed, Dawn. I really am impressed."

"Glad to hear you finally say that, Ash," Dawn said. "Now Mamoswine, finish it with Take Down!"

Mamoswine charged at Grotle. Grotle tried to get away, but he was too weak to move and was hit by Mamoswine, blown back and was knocked out.

"Oh no, Grotle!" Ash said. He smiled then. "You did well, Grotle, take a nice long rest." After calling back Grotle, he looked down to Pikachu. "Alright Pikachu, it's all down to you now." However, he noticed Pikachu had a frown on his face, and Ash understood why. "Look," he said, bending down next to him. "I know you don't want to battle against Dawn like this, but it might be the only way we can get to her if we win."

Pikachu looked up to him and nodded. "Pikachu," he agreed. He then took the stage.

"What!?" Dawn said, surprised. "Ash, you know that Mamoswine is immune against electric-types!"

"Well obviously Mamoswine hasn't battled Pikachu before!" Ash said. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Pikachu then sprinted towards Mamoswine. Mamoswine may have the advantage of size, but Pikachu had the advantage of speed.

"Mamoswine, use Mud Bomb!" Dawn said. Mamoswine opened it's mouth and shot out balls of mud but they kept missing Pikachu.

"Now use Iron Tail!" Ash said. Pikachu jumped right into the air, his tail glowing, and hit Mamoswine straight in the face, knocking him back. "Mamoswine may be strong against electric moves, but he's weak against steel."

Dawn gritted her teeth in frustration. "Mamoswine, use Ice Fang once more!"

"Pikachu, counter with thunderbolt!" Ash said. Pikachu shot out a thunderbolt as Mamoswine shot out Ice Fang. The two attacks hit each other, causing a small explosion. They were both equally matched. "Alright, now finish this with Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu ran straight towards Mamoswine as electricity covered his entire body. He then went forward and hit Mamoswine directly, blowing him back and hitting the ground. Mamoswine was knocked out.

Dawn was stunned. "That's... impossible," she said. She then started shaking with anger as she called back Mamoswine. "Alright Ash, I guess it all comes down tot his then." She then looked up with a smirk on her face. "I guess it's time to show you my newest companion."

"Newest?" Ash said, caught by surprise.

Dawn nodded. "Alright Yuna, let's take care of business!" She called out her new friend and Yuna appeared. However, once she saw Pikachu, she froze instantly, recognizing him.

Ash was shocked. "You have a Pikachu as well?" he said.

"Mhm, I found her in the forest. She's a lot stronger than you think," Dawn said.

"Alright Pikachu, let's take care of this then," Ash said. He then noticed that Pikachu just stood there, staring at Yuna with the same expression she had. "Uh, Pikachu?" Pikachu looked at him with a sad look. "Pika pika pi," he said, shaking his head.

"You don't want to fight her?" Ash said. He then realized Pikachu knew this other one.

"Fine, then we'll do the honors," Dawn said. But she then noticed Yuna was looking at her with the same face, shaking her head. "What do you mean you don't want to fight him?" Dawn said. "You have to!"

"Pikapi," Yuna said.

"I don't care if you know him, I'm telling you to fight and that's what you're going to do!" Dawn yelled.

"Pika pika pi," Yuna said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't care!" Dawn said, tears forming in her eyes as well. She then fell to her knees, sobbing. "Why? Why must it be like this?"

* * *

(A/N: Okay, sorry to interrupt this, but we have another song here. It's called "To Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy X, no surprise there. Well, it does have an awesome soundtrack.)

* * *

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other and nodded. Ash went up to her and knelt in front of her.

*"Well, I guess it's true then," Dawn said sadly. "I'll always just be a weak and mediocre trainer."

She then Ash's hand under her chin as he raised her head up to look into her eyes. "Dawn," he said. "Don't think that. Look at the battle you just did. It's obvious that you've improved so much since we first met. Look at all your accomplishments."

"Right," Brock said, as he and May went up to her as well. "You have four ribbons, and only one away from the Grand Festival."

"Don't forget Dawn, you also beat me at the Wallace Cup," May said. "The fact you beat me obviously means you're a skilled trainer and coordinator."

"You guys," Dawn said. She then looked up with a smile on her face. "Thank you. I'm sorry, for everything." She then looked towards Yuna. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you like that, Yuna. Apparently you know Pikachu from somewhere."

Ash looked at his companion, who was looking at Yuna, blushing, while she looked back with the same expression.

Dawn looked up and saw that Paul was walking away. "Paul?" she said. He looked back to her. "I know we may not get along so well, but still, thanks for training my Pokemon, even though I'm sure you were reluctant to."

Paul sighed before looking away. "Whatever," he said as he continued his way forward, leaving our heroes behind.

"So," Dawn said, standing up. "What are we going to do now?"

"Excuse me?" They looked back and saw Drew, who was obviously feeling ignored. "Are we forgetting someone?"

May laughed. "Sorry Drew." She then looked to Dawn. "Dawn, I want you to meet my friend Drew."

"_Friend_?" Drew said.

May sighed. "_Boy_friend," she said.

"A pleasure to meet you," Drew said, shaking Dawn's hand. "May's told me a lot about you."

"Drew," May said with a warning glare, telling him to shut up.

Dawn then noticed the blue Pokemon. "Oh, a Lucario!" she said. "Is he yours, Ash?"

Ash and Lucario both sweatdropped at this. "No, no," Ash said. "He's an old friend we encountered on one of our adventures."

"Wow, he must be real strong," Dawn said.

"I guess I could take that as a compliment," Lucario said, slightly surprising her.

"He even talks too," Ash said, laughing slightly.

"That's nothing new to me," Dawn said, laughing as well.

"Well, now that we're together now, we better make our way onto Sandgem Town," Brock said.

That was, until both Ash's and Dawn's stomachs starting rumbling, making them both grin sheepishly.

"I guess I'm feeling a bit hungry after that battle," Ash said.

"Yeah, I haven't quite had breakfast yet," Dawn said.

May and Drew both grinned at each other. "If I didn't know better, I'd say they would make a perfect pair," Drew whispered.

"I could've told you that," May whispered back.

"Well, we'll have lunch in about an hour," Brock said. "The sooner we get to Sandgem, the better."

And so, our heroes, finally united, made their way continuing to Sandgem Town.

* * *

(A/N: Yay, Dawn is back. See, I told you she would come back. This chapter was mostly to be about the battle they had. Now things ought to get interesting from here on in. What exactly, well, you'll have to find out next chapter. Enjoy the fun!)


	16. A Troubled Past

(A/N: I'd like to remind everyone once again that when Pokemon actually "talk." they're talking in _their _language. Just a reminder.)

* * *

Chapter 16: A Troubled Past

With the sky full with twilight, it was difficult to tell the time now. Even so, Ash and Co. continued on their way to Sandgem Town.

"So you're telling me that you saw Palkia in a dream, who told you that you were chosen by the gods to defeat this evil that we're fighting against, while also giving you a sword that not only defeats the enemies we encounter but also can take us to the dark realm?" Dawn said, pretty much in one breath.

"In a nutshell, yes," Ash said.

Dawn sighed. "I'm getting the feeling that you're used to this now?"

"Oh yeah," Ash said. "You'd be surprised."

"Yep, Ash has put us through many adventures," Brock said.

"Don't remind me of them," May said, causing everyone else to laugh.

Meanwhile, Pikachu, who was on Ash's shoulder, was looking at Yuna, who was on Dawn's shoulder. "So, umm..." Pikachu said.

Yuna laughed. "I can see you're not quite used to talking to girls."

"What makes you think that?" Pikachu said.

"I saw how you reacted when you first saw me," Yuna said, smiling. "You've... never seen a female Pikachu before have you?"

Pikachu, feeling embarrassed, put his hand behind his head. "Not exactly," he said.

Yuna giggled. "You're rather cute when you get all embarrassed like that."

"Uh, thanks," Pikachu said, blushing. "You're rather pretty yourself."

Yuna had a surprised look on her face, starting to blush. She then looked away while smiling. "I bet that's what you were thinking when you first saw me, wasn't it?"

Pikachu didn't want to admit it, but for some odd reason, he just couldn't lie to her. "Yeah," he said. "But I don't understand. Why are you out here in Sinnoh? Don't most of us live in Kanto?"

Yuna then hesitated. She knew he wanted to ask her about her past, but now wasn't the best time. "I... rather not talk about it right now," she said. "It's a little personal."

"I'm sorry," Pikachu said. "It's fine really, I mean I'm kind of the same-"

He was interrupted as she had leaned over and given him a kiss on the cheek. She smiled. "You really are sweet, you know that?"

Pikachu couldn't say anything after that. That was the second time she had kissed him.

"I wonder what those two are talking about?" Ash said, as he and Dawn both heard them exchanging messages, not noticing the kiss afterward.

Dawn giggled. "I might have an idea," she said, quickly getting glares from both of them. "But I think I'll keep quiet for now."

"So where did you find her?" Ash said.

"It was strange, I found her in the forest," Dawn said. "She seemed a little worn out from something, although I'm not sure what. But the weirdest thing is that there's a number tattooed on the back of her neck."

"What?" Ash said.

"Yeah, look," she said, picking Yuna up and showed him the number, while Yuna hesitated, realizing they were close to figuring out.

"Who in the world would do that to a Pokemon?" Brock asked.

"Why don't you ask her?" They looked over and saw Lucario staring at them. "She knows what happened."

"Pika pikachu pi!" Yuna said angrily.

"Maybe not, but they have the right to know since they're concerned," Lucario said.

Yuna sighed. She looked up to the Aura Pokemon and he nodded. She then explained her story, while Lucario translated.

After hearing it, everyone had a shocked look on their faces, but Pikachu topped them all. _"The sad thing is, I know exactly how she's feeling," _Pikachu thought.

"That's horrible," Dawn said. She then looked down to Yuna and gave her a hug. "I'm so sorry, Yuna. I promise nothing like that will ever happen to you again."

Yuna, feeling comfortable against Dawn, snuggled into her arms. "I can understand Yuna completely," Ash said. "It's scum like them that make me sick."

"Well, Yuna will never have to worry about them as long as she's with us," May said.

Drew then walked up next to Ash. "You know Ash," he whispered. "I'm getting the feeling that you-know-who likes Yuna."

Ash then looked up to Pikachu, and then back to Drew. "You think so?"

"Without a doubt," Drew said. "You know, you could use that to your advantage with Dawn."

"How so?" Ash said.

"You know, how they say when two Pokemon fall in love, they reflect the same feelings their trainers have. Now is your chance to tell Dawn how you really feel."

"You're right," Ash said. He then had an idea. "And I think I know the perfect way to tell her."

After another hour, the group stopped to have lunch. While eating, Ash still had one thing left on his mind. "Ash?" He looked up and saw Dawn staring at him, concerned. "What's wrong? You've barely said anything for the last hour."

"It's nothing," Ash said. Dawn looked at him. "I'll tell you later."

Dawn nodded, while still eating. Afterwards, they both got up and told the others they would be right back. Once they found a place where they were by themselves, Dawn then looked over to Ash. "Ash, I know something's bothering you. Just tell me."

"It's just... I don't know where you got the assumption that I thought you were a weak trainer," Ash said.

"Oh Ash, look, I was just being stupid," Dawn said. "I was thinking and assuming things that weren't true. I was just still a little upset."

"From before?" Ash said.

"I was being selfish," Dawn said. "I was only thinking about myself and not you and Brock. I shouldn't have run off like that, worrying you both."

Ash put both his hands on her shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "Dawn," he said. "It's fine. I understand completely. But there's just one thing."

"What's that?" Dawn asked.

"When I told you I wasn't ready for a relationship, I didn't mean that," Ash said.

"You didn't?" Dawn said. Ash shook his head.

"Truth is, I've been feeling the same way about you as well," he said. "I just couldn't quite say it at the time."

"Oh Ash," Dawn said, going up to him and giving him a hug, which he gladly returned.

"Well isn't this just adorable?" They looked over and saw a man in black leaning against one of the trees. "It's good to see you again, Dawn."

"Andrius?" Dawn said. "What are you doing here and why are you dressed like that?"

Ash instantly recognized him for who he was. "Stay back, Dawn," he said. "He's one of them."

Andrius chuckled. "You catch on quick, Chosen One."

"Stop calling me the Chosen One!" Ash yelled. "The name is Ash!"

"Whatever, _Ash_," Andrius said. "I thought I would've been able to break you and Dawn apart, but I guess I came up a little short."

"You... you were trying to separate us?" Dawn said, her temper starting to go up. "You mean you lied to me about all what you said!?"

"It was too easy," Andrius said. "I would've thought you would have second thoughts on that, but you just went along with it."

"How dare you!?" Dawn yelled, about to go up to him if Ash wasn't holding her back.

"Well, look at the bright side Dawn," Andrius said. "You two are happily back together and if you hadn't gone along with what I side, I could've just killed you right on the spot."

"If you even try to lay a finger on her..." Ash said, holding Dawn's hand which was making her blush.

"Calm down," Andrius said. "I'm not here to kill you."

"What are you talking about?" Ash said. "I thought that was part of the mission?"

Andrius sighed. "That's true, but I realize it won't do any good to even try. Two of my friends are already dead. I realize now that it's no good fighting for the wrong side." He then looked to both of them. "I'm here to battle you."

"What!?" Ash said, caught by surprise.

"You heard me right," Andrius said. "I've heard of your skills. How strong you are competing in Kanto, Hoenn, Johto, and Sinnoh. I feel it's time for me to get a good challenge in." He then looked over to Dawn. "In fact, I'll make things even more interesting. This will be a tag battle."

"Tag battle?" Dawn said. "But you don't have a partner."

Andrius smirked. "I don't need one. I happen to be pretty good at using two Pokemon at a time. Now." He then looked at his clothing with a frown. All of a sudden, he looked like his old self again. "That's better," he said. "Now, choose your Pokemon wisely."

Ash and Dawn both looked at each other, realizing that they had left their Pokemon behind with the others. However, they heard something in the bushes and quickly saw Pikachu and Yuna come out, to their rescue.

"Well, I guess these two are our choices," Ash said.

"Two of the same type? Not the best choice," Andrius said. "Very well." He then took out two Pokeballs. "Metagross and Mightyena, take the field!"

There were two flashes of light and a Pokemon that resembled a giant crab and a Pokemon that resembled a wolf appeared. "I due hope your Pokemon are strong enough," Andrius said.

"Hold on," Ash said. "What's the catch here?"

"There is none," Andrius said. "Although, if you do lose, then that obviously proves you are not as strong as we had thought."

"We'll see about that," Ash said. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail on Metagross."

"Yuna, use Quick Attack against Mightyena!" Dawn said.

The two Pikachu charged forward towards their opponents. "Metagross, Iron Defense! Mightyena, use Double Team!"

Metagross was able to get the defensive move off before it was hit by Pikachu's Iron Tail, and Mightyena used Double Team to make copies of itself, surrounding Yuna. "Now, Metagross, Meteor Mash and Mightyena, Dark Pulse!" Metagross then used Meteor Mash, hitting Pikachu directly, and while still using Double Team, Mightyena launched a dark ball of energy at Yuna. Both Pikachu were sent back.

"Oh no!" Ash and Dawn both said.

"You see, it takes skill to be able to time your attacks perfectly, especially with two Pokemon on the field," Andrius said.

"Come on Pikachu, you got to get up," Ash said.

"Please, Yuna, you can't quit now."

After hearing their trainers calling to them, they both got up slowly but were still willing to fight.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, time for another song here. Two actually. This one here is the instrumental version of "Simple and Clean," and it should be the one with the electric guitar and stuff. Sorry, there's like a bunch of instrumental versions so I had to specify. The other one after this is by my favorite composer, Harry Gregson-Williams. The name of the song is "Burning The Past.")

* * *

"Looks we're going to have to come up with a plan here," Ash said.

*Dawn then had an idea. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she said, smiling at him.

Ash understood and nodded. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail one more time on Metagross!"

"Yuna, use Charge Beam on Mightyena!" Dawn said.

"Metagross, Iron Defense! And Mightyena, use Hyper Beam!"

Ash and Dawn both smiled, wanting him to do this. "Now switch!" they both said.

"What!?" Andrius almost yelled.

Mightyena had fired a Hyper Beam, now at Pikachu, but Pikachu cut right through it with Iron Tail, knocking Mightyena back. Yuna then fired a Charge Beam at Metagross, and even though he had Iron Defense, the attack was still too powerful for him as he was knocked back as well.

"Im-impossible!" Andrius said, looking at his Pokemon who were struggling to get up.

"Now," Ash and Dawn both said. "Thunderbolt!"

Paw-in-paw, the two Pikachu conjured up a thunderbolt, combining together which hit both Pokemon, electrocuting them enough that they had finally been knocked out.

*Andrius just stared in shock, and fell to his knees near his fallen Pokemon. "I don't believe it," he said, calling back his Pokemon. "You really must be the Chosen One. Even after all this time, I still find myself pathetic."

Ash and Dawn looked at each other, surprised and confused. "What do you mean pathetic? You obviously put up a good battle, Andrius," Dawn said.

"Don't even say anything Dawn!" he yelled, looking at her with hatred. "Compared to me, you have and always will have it easy!" He looked down, shaking slightly. "When I was younger, I wanted to be the best trainer, just like everyone else wanted. I trained my Pokemon well and treated them well. But, no matter what I did, I couldn't beat anyone. Even my friends started to make fun of me, saying I had no chance of becoming a great trainer. I couldn't handle it anymore, so I ran away, taking my Pokemon. I lost my friends, my parents, and even my own moral. All I had left were my Pokemon." He then had a dark look on his face. "That was when I joined the organization, under Lord Xanatos. I finally met people who were in my shoes. I thought I could start over in my life. And everything would be different. How wrong I was. I let darkness into my heart, letting all the anger and hate I had consume me. I'm not a killer." He then looked to Dawn. "To be honest, even if I couldn't turn you against Ash, I don't know if I could've done it, trying to kill you. I guess I should be glad you did, so I couldn't be put in that position. I wanted to go back to my old roots, but even after all this time, nothings changed."

Dawn looked over to Ash, who nodded. She went over to him, and knelt beside him. "Listen Andrius, I know you might not think it, but I was once in the same position you were in."

"You mean, not being able to win any battles?" Andrius said.

"Well, yeah something like that," Dawn said. "I always wanted to be a coordinator like my mother. It didn't start out so easily as I lost two appeal rounds in a row. At that point, I didn't think I was going to get anywhere. But then, I told myself never to give up and keep trying, keep practicing for I knew I would end up winning a Contest. And look at me now, I've won four now."

Andrius smiled. "Never give up and keep trying. Sounds like you got that from a friend."

"Yeah, I did," Dawn said, looking back towards Ash and smiling.

Andrius sighed and got to his feet. "You know, you're right Dawn. If I keep practicing, I'm sure I can still achieve the title I wanted when I was younger. Thank you. Now it's time to return home." He then turned around and started walking away. He then stopped though. "Oh, and Ash?"

"What?" Ash said.

Andrius turned around with a smile on his face. "Don't think this will be the first _and _last time we ever meet in battle. Once we meet again, you'll see me in a different light."

Ash smiled. "I'll be looking forward to that then."

Andrius smiled, and turned back, walking through the woods back to his home town of Lilycove City.

"Wow," Ash said. Dawn looked back to him. He smiled. "You know, these people may seem like they're evil, but I think, deep down inside, they really are good people."

"Yeah," Dawn said. "I don't think they're evil either. Just confused. I just wish we didn't have to fight them to bring the good out of them."

"Well, sometimes that's what you have to do," Ash said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, I'm sure the others are wondering what happened to us."

And with that, they made their way back to camp.

* * *

(A/N: See, there was no killing this time. BE HAPPY! He changed and became a good person again. I noticed how with each person, a different event happens. Come on, you think people will like Ash just killing each person everytime? Sounds kind of dull to me. Anyway, next chapter they'll finally get to Sandgem Town and Sandgem Beach, since I know you've been wanting them to get there for like the last five chapters XD. So, I hope you liked this chapter and stay tuned for more awesomeness on the way.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	17. Sandgem Beach

(A/N: Umm, I guess I should mention there might be some adult themes in this chapter, so just to let you know why I changed the rating from T to M so I don't get in trouble.)

* * *

Chapter 17: Sandgem Beach

The next morning, the group had finally reached Sandgem Town. It was a nice small town with a beach at the south side of it, which was what it was most known for.

"Finally, we made it," Ash said.

Dawn sighed. "If only we had the time, I would've loved to hit the beach."

"I think we all could use a little break," May said.

"Well, once this is over, that's what we'll do then," Ash said, smiling.

Once they got into town, they quickly found themselves a restaurant to have brunch.

"So what's the plan then?" Drew said while they were eating.

"Simple, we get there and we take the fight to them," Ash said. "Once we get rid of those in charge of all of this, it'll finally be over."

"It's not as simple as you think," Lucario said. Everyone then looked at him. "The fortress is next to a city, which is much larger than the ones here. The fortress itself is almost impossible to get into, partly because because it's on a large hill, but also because it's heavily guarded. But the other problem is the fact that we can only travel there either at dusk or dawn."

"Whys that so bad?" Brock said.

"The city has a tight curfew at night, and there are nightly patrols, which make things more difficult," Lucario said.

"So pretty much, we have to wait about another seven hours?" Dawn said.

"Unfortunately, yes," Lucario said.

"Well, that won't be a problem," May said. "We can just find ourselves some rooms at the hotel near the beach and wait till then."

"I guess so," Ash said. Truth was, they had no idea what could happen in seven hour's time, so waiting wasn't their favorite choice, but it was their only choice. "So Lucario, you'll be able to lead the way there then?"

"I can, but we'll have to find another way in," Lucario said. "Normally, I could've just teleported there, so it was never a problem."

"Wait a minute," Ash said. "Since when did you learn how to teleport?"

Lucario smiled. "It takes very good skill, my friend."

After they ate, they made their way south towards Sandgem Beach, which also happened to have a very nice hotel, since it was always a vacation spot. Luckily, today there wasn't as many people in the hotel so they were able to get rooms. Ash and Dawn, May and Drew, and Brock and Lucario each got a room for themselves.

Ash looked out the window of his room, checking on the weather. Despite the sudden change in the sky, there was still the sun peeking through, causing a mixture of colors. If it stayed like this, he would be able to pull his plan off.

"You know," Dawn said. "I know we've been on some interesting adventures and all, but this has to be by far the biggest one we've ever had."

"Even bigger than Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina fighting each other?" Ash said, laughing.

"Well," Dawn said, smiling. "They weren't quite keen on destroying the world, at least intentionally." She then frowned. "But that's what worries me the most. I mean, there's that huge chance that we might not make it through this. Whoever these people are, they're taking this seriously."

"I know," Ash said. He then went over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "But like you always say, no need to worry. As long as we all stick together, nothing can beat us."

"I hope you're right," Dawn said. She then suddenly yawned.

Ash chuckled. "Sounds like somebody's tired," he said. However, without warning, he let out a yawn as well.

"Look who's talking," Dawn said, smirking. "Guess we could both use a nap. We're going to need it after all."

"Right," Ash said. Unfortunately, there was only one bed in the room, but neither of them felt uncomfortable sleeping close to each other. They both got into the bed and sat there, looking at the ceiling. "So," Ash said. "How long have you liked me?"

Dawn smiled. "Well, I can't pick a specific date, but it was a little bit after we started traveling together. I quickly admired you as a trainer, and then I starting admiring you for who you really are." She decided to turn the tables on him. "What about you, Mr. Chosen One?"

Ash laughed. "Well, I guess you could say probably around the same time. There's just something about you that differed from Misty or May. You always seem to have that bit of confidence in you, even though you get nervous at times. I just like that in people."

Dawn blushed slightly. "Thanks Ash," she said. She then turned over on her side, thinking. _"It's strange. We've both admitted our feelings for one another, but we still have yet to express them. I guess we're both still a little nervous. I just hope we get to before something bad happens, or even life-threatening." _She then looked over to Ash, who had already fallen asleep. She smiled and quickly found herself falling to sleep as well.

Pikachu and Yuna both looked at their trainers, smiling. "I see you and your trainer have been through a lot before?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah," Pikachu said. "So many adventures together, some of them I try to forget."

"Whys that?" Yuna said.

"Well, on more than one occasion, I almost lost Ash as a friend," Pikachu said. "And even now, there's that chance I could lose him again."

"Don't worry," Yuna said, placing a paw on his shoulder. "If he's cheated death before, I'm sure he could do it again."

"Yeah," Pikachu said. He then put his one paw behind her ear and started rubbing it, causing Yuna to close her eyes in pleasure.

After he stopped, she looked at him with surprise and amusement. "So what happened to the shy and timid Pikachu I was talking to yesterday?"

"I have a way of quickly changing personalities," Pikachu said, smirking as he drew her closer with a paw around her mid-section.

"Oh my," Yuna said, surprised as he pressed his lips against hers, causing her to close her eyes in pleasure as she put her paws around his neck. After a minute, they broke their kiss, gasping for breath. "I think I love you," Yuna said, gasping slightly.

"I think I love you, too," Pikachu responded, grinning.

* * *

"So, we finally have a room all to ourselves," May said, with an amused smile on her face.

"May, we've always had a room to ourselves when we traveled," Drew said, a little confused.

"I know, but this is the first room we have together as a couple silly," May said. "I need to go change quick." She then went into the bathroom.

Drew looked around the room. This was his first time in Sinnoh, and it was interesting to see how different it was from Johto or Hoenn. Still, it was a nice region, and it was good to be out somewhere different. He then heard May come out of the bathroom, looked up and almost jumped.

May stood there, now only wearing a red bra and matching panties. "So, you like?"

"Uh, May?" Drew said, starting to blush instantly. It wasn't like him to act like this, but this was May who was in front of him. "What are you doing?"

May giggled, as she went up to him. "Well, I did say that we had the room to ourselves," she said.

"But, I thought you said you weren't ready yet?" Drew said.

May sighed as she sat beside him. "I know," she said. "It's just that, I have no idea what could happen to us once we go to the other side. I just feel like, we need to express our love while we still have the chance." Tears then formed in her eyes.

Drew then put his arms around her, giving her a hug. "Don't worry May, I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I'll always protect you."

"Drew..." May said as he pressed his lips against hers, catching her by surprise, but she quickly kissed him back. They then laid back on the bed, May's arms around Drew's neck, and his arms around her waist. She then slid off the jacket Drew was wearing and threw it aside. He then took off the t-shirt he was wearing, showing off his chest and abs, which aroused May a little bit.

Finally, she stripped him of his jeans, so all he left on now was his boxers. They got under the covers and May rested her head against his chest. "Do you remember the day we first met?" she said.

"How could I forget?" Drew said, smiling. "I remember all I did was piss you off criticizing your battling skills."

"Yeah, you did," May said, laughing. "But even so, you helped me become a better trainer and coordinator. I'm glad I met you that day."

"I couldn't agree any more," Drew said, as their lips met once again. May then rolled on top of him, straddling him down. She then let down one strap of her bra, teasing him. She then let down the other one, so then the only thing holding up her bra was the clip in the back. She then smiled at him and winked, giving him the go-ahead.

Drew smiled as he fumbled with the clip on her back, finally able to unclip her bra. She then threw her bra aside, exposing her breasts, blushing slightly. They then started kissing once again as Drew threw his arms around her back, pressing her chest into his.

After finally becoming totally aroused, they looked at each other, smiling, knowing what was coming next. May then went down to where her panties were and slowly slid them off, as Drew slid off his boxers, both now fully exposed. "I can't believe we're actually doing this," Drew said. "May, maybe it might be best if we don't say this to anybody, at least for right now."

May smiled. "I won't if you won't."

Drew smiled, putting a hand through her soft brown hair. He positioned her so she was in the right spot, and soon put his hardness inside of her.

May gritted her teeth, feeling the pain as he went inside of her. Truth was, this was her first time so she wasn't used to it. Little did she know it was the same for Drew. After a couple of seconds, she looked to Drew, nodding, telling him that she was okay.

Drew then moved his hips in a constant motion, which May soon followed. As she felt him inside of her, she felt a feeling in her starting to increase, one that she had never experienced before. "Oh Drew," she moaned, gripping Drew's arms with her nails.

The motioning soon increased in speed as both of them started feeling excited inside. Both of them felt that feeling increase more and more as they both gripped each other, kissing each other. Finally, May hit her climax and then screamed Drew's name as he himself launched his seed inside of her.

Gasping for breath, May then rolled over to Drew's side, surprised with what happened. "So that's what it feels like," she said, causing Drew to laugh. She then looked to Drew. "I hope I didn't end up forcing this upon you, Drew."

Drew smiled and went over to kiss her on the forehead. "Of course not, May," he said. "I had wanted this to happen as much as you do. I love you May."

"And I love you too, Drew," May said as they both hugged each other.

* * *

"You know, this is the first time I ever had to share with a Pokemon," Brock said.

Lucario gave him a smile. "Even if we were spending the night, I don't sleep in beds. I'm used to sleeping on the ground."

"Yeah, that would be rather strange," Brock said. Despite being a Pokemon, Lucario acted much like a human. "So, what it's like there?"

"Like where?" Lucario said.

"You know, on the other side," Brock said.

"It's different..." Lucario said. "It's much like this world, but there are no cities, towns, or anything human-related. In fact, there aren't any humans there except for Sir Aaron of course. It's just a land of Pokemon."

"Interesting," Brock said. "So I guess you really missed home, huh?"

"Depends on what you call home," Lucario said. "This entire world is my home. When Sir Aaron found me, I was still rather young and wild. However, it was Sir Aaron who taught me the power of aura, and it has branched out to all my descendants."

"Is that why you're teaching Ash how to use his aura?" Brock asked. "Because he's similar to Sir Aaron?"

"I guess so," Lucario said. He then looked outside to the twilit sky. "I just hope it's enough."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, now it's time for a song. This is once again a Final Fantasy X song, but do not fear, I have a bunch of songs coming up after this which are different, which I will display later. Anyway, the song is "Silence Before The Storm." Oh yeah, as for the sex scene, come on you really think I could just skip over that? Sorry, that's just my style I guess.)

* * *

Ash woke up a couple of hours later. He looked to the clock on the desk and it read around five. He then looked out the window, still seeing the sun was out, and then looked to Dawn who was still sleeping. He smiled, realizing it was time to put his plan into place.

He went over to Dawn and shook her gently. "Dawn," he whispered. "Wake up."

"Five more minutes, Ash," Dawn said sleepily.

Ash smiled, shaking his head. "Come on Dawn, this is important."

She then opened her eyes and looked to Ash. "This had better be important," she said softly.

"It is. There's something I want to show you," Ash said.

Getting up, the two left the room quietly, so they didn't wake the two Pikachu who were sleeping side by side with their tails interlocked.

"Now close your eyes," Ash said as they left the hotel.

Dawn smiled while having her eyes covered. "If this is some kind of joke, you're dead ,Ash Ketchum."

Once they got to the shoreline, they both stopped. "Okay, you can open your eyes now," Ash said.

*Dawn opened her eyes and quickly gasped. Before her was a beautiful sunset, which intermingled with the twilit sky, which was pink and orange. "Ash... it's beautiful," Dawn said softly.

Ash smiled. "I thought it was kind of one of those once in a lifetime moments."

"Thank you Ash," Dawn said. She then went over to Ash and gave him a hug, which he returned. Even after breaking the hug, they still held on to each other, while looking at the sunset. "This is rather romantic," Dawn said, who had her head rested against Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, it is," Ash said.

They both then looked into each other's eyes. "Ash, there's something I been wanting to tell you for a long time. I love you, Ash."

"I love you too, Dawn," Ash said. They then moved in towards one another and their lips met. Dawn put her arms around Ash's neck as he put his hands around her waist. Ash felt mesmerized by the sweet taste of chapstick that Dawn always put on, while Dawn noticed the smell of the cologne Ash always wore.

After breaking the kiss, they looked at each other and smiled. "Took us long enough, huh?" Dawn said.

Ash chuckled. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"Ash?" Dawn then said. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to stay out here a little bit longer."

Ash smiled. "That's fine with me as long as I'm with you."

They then sat down at the beach, holding each other as Dawn had her head against Ash's chest while he kept stroking her hair. "I have to admit Ash, I'm a little scared," Dawn said.

"That's alright. I'm a little scared too," Ash said. "We don't know what to expect once we get there, but as long as we stick together, there's no way we can lose."

"Or so you think." They looked behind them and there stood another man in black, smiling at them.

"Oh great, another one," Ash said, as he and Dawn got up.

"Just how many of you are there?" Dawn said.

"You've got a lot of guts asking that," the man said. "But forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Petrus."

"Dawn," Ash said. "Head back to the hotel. I'll handle this."

"But why can't she stay and enjoy the fun?" Petrus said. Dawn tried to run but was quickly stopped as Petrus quickly teleported to where she was and grabbed her arm. "Maybe it's best if I showed you something," he said, while she struggled. He then pulled out a knife. "You see that sign there?" he said, pointing towards a sign not too far away from them. He then threw the knife towards the sign, and it hit the sign right square in the middle. He then turned back to Dawn. "If you think that's impressive, you should see how good I'm against _moving _targets. So I suggest you stay where you are," he said, letting go of her, and she went back to Ash's side.

"Leave her out of this," Ash growled.

"Oh don't worry, I'll be taking care of you first," Petrus said, a blade suddenly appearing in his one hand. "Once I'm through with you, I'll decide what I want to do with the girl."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, here comes another song. The name of the song is "Struggling Away" from KH2 I believe. Could be wrong there.)

* * *

*"Guess you leave me no choice then," Ash said, brandishing his own blade. He then charged at Petrus, engaging in a duel. Unlike Zachariah, Petrus seemed like a more aggressive fighter, making him stronger. Ash tried a flurry of attacks against him, but he was able to block them all.

Their blades connected and each tried to push each other back, but Petrus was able to knock him back, while taking a swipe which hit Ash square in the chest, only causing a minor cut thanks to his clothing. However, the pain still hurt as he knelt down on one knee. _"Pikachu, I need your help."

* * *

_Pikachu all of a sudden woke up. _"That sounded like Ash. He needs my help!" _he thought. He then closed his eyes and transferred his energy to Ash.

* * *

Petrus then put his blade under Ash's chin, raising his head up. "Hmm. I guess you're not the _Chosen One _we were looking for."

Dawn wanted to do something, but could only stay still. She then realized she couldn't move at all! Petrus must've done something to her.

Ash then started to laugh. "You just forgot one thing," he said.

"And what's that?" Petrus said.

Ash's body started to glow yellow and he looked up to Petrus with eyes the same color. "This." He then swiped at Petrus, who was able to defend the blow. Ash then got up and struck at Petrus, his power growing stronger with each attack. Soon, Ash was able to disarm Petrus and then stabbed him. Petrus had a surprised look on his face as he looked at the wound and quickly fell to the ground.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, this should be the last song for this chapter, unless I end up forgetting something. Like I promised, this is NOT a FFX song. In fact, I'm going back to Zelda, how predictable. Anyway, the song title may be wrong but I have it under iTunes as "Ganondorf Survived And Midna is Gone." I know, probably not the best choice for this part, but it's the best I could fine. Oh wait, I take that back, we have another song after this one, right after actually. It's called "Ganondorf's Lament.)

* * *

Ash was breathing heavily as he walked away from Petrus' dead body. He then went over to Dawn who ran up to him to give him a hug. "Thank God you're alright," Dawn said.

"Of course I'm alright," Ash said.

However, they heard a noise behind them and saw that Petrus was still alive. He then got to his feet slowly and looked at them, his eyes were now deep red, as if possessed. "THIS ISN'T OVER YET!" he yelled. He then pulled out a knife. "Now I'll have the pleasure of killing you both. DIE!"

He then charged straight at them, but he was in such a rage that he hadn't noticed Ash's blade which he used to stab Petrus once again before he could make a move, only deeper that it went through his entire mid-section.

*He then let out a gasp, staring at both Ash and Dawn with shock. "Chosen One... indeed," Petrus said before his eyes glazed over, and he fell to his side, truly dead this time.

"Well, I think that was our highlight of the day," Dawn said. "But Ash, how were you able to do what you just did?"

There was a flash of light and Pikachu appeared on his shoulder. "Just got some help from a buddy," Ash said, looking at his friend, causing all of them to start laughing. He then looked at the time. "Well, it's almost time to go. We better get everyone down here then."

* * *

(A/N: Ooh, such an exciting chapter. XD I guess I found another reason to make this story M-rated now. Seriously though, if you have a problem with the sex scene, I'm sorry but I did mention something like this would happen at the start of this story, so don't be angry or offended. Anyway, next chapter will start the concluding part of this story, and boy will it be interesting.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	18. Entering The Dark Realm

(A/N: Okay, so yeah I saw the 11th Pokemon movie a long time ago (thank you Youtube), but I saw it again recently and I checked out the soundtrack and boy did it blow my mind! IMO, this has to be the best Pokemon Movie Soundtrack I've ever heard. So, I've decided to add some songs from the soundtrack, although unfortunately the names are all in Japanese T_T. Oh well, expect to hear some of those songs in the near future.)

* * *

Chapter 18: Entering the Dark Realm

"There you two are!" Brock said once Ash and Dawn got back to the hotel. "We've been waiting for you for about twenty minutes now."

"Oh, sorry about that," Ash said. "We were just-"

"Walking down the beach," Dawn said, giving Ash a quick wink.

"Yeah, that's what we did," Ash said.

"Well, we better get going now," Lucario said. "It's about to reach dusk."

They went down to where the beach was, but nothing was there. "Look!" May said.

They then looked over to an area which seemed clear at first. However, they noticed the one part was shaking, like looking at humidity on a hot day. "Whoa," Ash said as they went over to it. He placed his hand up to hit, but it went right through, like normal air. "But it doesn't do anything." He then looked to Lucario. "Do you know how we're supposed to get through?"

"Actually, I'm not quite sure," Lucario said, causing everyone to face-fault onto the ground.

Ash then remembered something that Palkia had said to him. "Could it really be that simple?" Ash said to himself. He then conjured up the sword he had, and swiped the area like a piece of fabric.

Once torn, the hole grew larger and larger and soon became a wide portal. "How did you know how to that Ash?" Dawn asked.

Ash sweatdropped. "I have no idea, just a feeling I had."

* * *

(A/N: Song time already? This song is yet another FFX song, but I like it a lot. It's called "The Truth Revealed.")

* * *

They then stared at the portal in front of them. "So this is it, huh?" Drew said.

*"Looks like it," Ash said. He then stopped, something new on his mind

"What's wrong, Ash?" May said.

"It's just... I have no idea what to expect on the other side," Ash said. "I mean, I know it's my destiny to destroy this evil that threatens us all, but I couldn't possibly bear to see any of you get hurt. Maybe it might be best if Lucario and I just go."

Everyone else just smiled. They had been expecting this. "Ash, you once said that we had been in bigger situations than this before, and we had put ourselves on the line," Dawn said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "So why must this time be any different?"

"She's right, you know," Brock said, putting a hand on his other shoulder. "Besides, we've always been there by your side."

"'As long as we're together, nothing can stop us.' I believe that you said that yourself," Drew said. "Which pretty much means..."

"You're stuck with us until the very end," May said, smiling.

Ash had this head down for a couple of seconds before looking up with a determined look on his face. "You're right," he said. "It's like they say, all for one and one for all. Thanks guys." He then faced towards the giant portal. "Now, let's finish this."

They each then entered the portal, not sure what to expect on the other side.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I just found a song good for this scene here. It's called "Preparing to Advance" and I think it's from Fire Emblem.)

* * *

*Meanwhile, near Jubilife City, a squadron of Staraptor were making their way back to the city after doing some reconnaissance duty. This group was called S1, the letter referencing their name. This particular squadron was known as S1 Unit 3.

They then reached the city, which had been blocked off with checkpoint zones due to heightened security. They made their way to the Jubilife Police Department building, where officers were standing on the roof, awaiting them.

Captain Cresswell was sitting in his office, awaiting any new reports. Soon, one of the officers made their way into his office.

"Sir, S1 Unit 3 has just returned," the officer said.

"And?" Cresswell said.

"They... found something," the officer said. He then brought out a map showing the city and surrounding areas. "They saw what appeared to be enemy forces out near the forest assembling."

"As of right now, how far are they away from the city?" Cresswell asked.

"At least a day and a half," the officer said.

Cresswell sighed. He couldn't believe the city was going to be attacked again. "Well, at least we know they're coming this time. Here's what I want everyone to do. I want all available trainers to stay and defend the city at all costs. All those who are not trainers, are to be evacuated to one of the neighboring towns. Also, I want any trainers from those towns to make their way here. Give them police transport if they need it. We're going to need all the trainers we can get."

Soon, the emergency alarms rang through the city as police personnel made their way through the city, evacuating all of those who were not trainers, and also sending out police vehicles to retrieve trainers from the neighboring towns. The city would soon become another war zone.

* * *

Ash all of a sudden felt ground. He looked up and felt that he was in a pitch dark room. Indeed, it was very dark, almost impossible to see.

He then looked behind him as the others made their way out of the portal. "Okay, I had a feeling it would be like nighttime here, but this is ridiculous," Dawn said.

The strangest part was that the area they were in looked much like the forest they were in for the last two or three days. "Well, I guess we just go forward," Ash said.

"Yeah," Brock said, looking behind him. "Because I don't want to know what could be behind us. The area behind them you could definitely say was pitch black.

"This place already gives me the creeps." May said. She then felt Drew take her hand and then smiled.

They then made their way forward, Lucario leading the way. His eyes closed, he was able to light their way with his aura. "Ash, you try doing the same as well," Lucario said. Ash nodded and closed his eyes, now being able to see everything in sight. It was like having your own set of night-vision goggles.

They heard nothing. Nothing made a sound, not even the sound of wind. This place was truly different. "Sheesh, who really wants to live in a world like this?" Drew said.

"Well, did you ever think that maybe some people here didn't quite have a choice?" Dawn said, causing Drew to frown.

May then let go of Drew's hand, feeling a bit safer now. She looked into where all the trees beside them stood, and saw nothing but blackness. Then, something caught her eye, making her stop. She peered closer in the bushes, swearing she saw something. Suddenly, she saw something glow in the bushes. To her horror, however, she then realized it was a pair of glowing red eyes.

"I see you," the creature said, causing May to jump back and fall to the ground. The creature jumped out, resembling a Kabutops. May started screaming out of panic at it lunged at her, trying to hit her with it's pincers.

"No! Get away! Please, stop!" May yelled. The others looked to her in fear, but there was nothing there. Whatever May was seeing wasn't really there. Drew then ran up to her as she was still screaming.

"May, what's wrong? May? MAY!" Drew yelled. Saying her name the final time made her stop then and look around in panic. She looked up to Drew and suddenly tears came to her eyes.

"Drew!" she said, putting her arms around him. "It was so scary. It tried to attack me."

"What tried to attack you?" Drew said, as the others came to her side.

"I saw something in the bushes," May said, still shaking. "I looked into them and it was a pair of eyes." She started to shake more as she looked to Drew with panic on her face. "It said something to me. I tried looking away... but I couldn't stop staring into it's eyes. I saw... terrible things. There was a city on fire. Pokemon... laid dead in the streets. It was horrible." Tears started to flow out of her eyes. "I saw Petalburg City. It... was on fire. Oh God, I don't know if my family escaped!" She then started sobbing into Drew's chest as he rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"I suddenly have a bad feeling being here," Brock said.

Lucario looked at them. "I was told that this forest is supposed to be filled with evil and darkness, causing all kinds of horror. It's best if we get out of here as quickly as we can."

They then continued on their way, while Drew stuck close to May, holding her tightly. Soon, they finally got to the edge of the forest and they stopped in surprise.

Before them stood a gigantic city, one even bigger than Jubilife. And above it, at a far distance, stood the fortress Lucario had explained. "Well, at least we went the right way," Ash said.

"Hold on," Lucario said. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that this city probably has night patrols. Once we get into the city, we have to keep our eyes open for anything."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, time to go back to some Brawl songs. This particular one is called "Subspace Area" from the Subspace Emissary.)

* * *

*"Right," everyone else said. Once they got to the edge of the city, they quickly made their way in through the alleyway. Both of them using their aura, Ash and Lucario crept around the corners of each street, checking for patrols. Once it was clear, they continued to the next alleyway they could find. Maybe if they kept using the alleyways, they could make their way through the city and then be closer to the fortress. As for the next step, they waited until they got out of the city to worry about that.

"Hold on," Lucario said, putting up a paw to stop them. They crept alongside the one corner as a patrol went by. Luckily, they didn't bother to check down the alley. Once they were gone, they continued forward again. They noticed how the city here was very similar to the ones they knew in their world. Perhaps things weren't so different here after all.

"It's beautiful," Dawn said. "I wasn't expecting that."

"If it's so big, that must mean many people really do live here," Brock said.

They made their way onto the next street. All of a sudden, Ash had that strange feeling that they were being watched. Pikachu looked at him, feeling the same thing. "I'd keep your eyes peeled," Ash said. "I'm getting the feeling that we're not alone out here." Everyone froze in their spots, while Lucario looked around for anything that was moving.

All of a sudden, they saw a door open and a man peered out of it. "Hey!" he whispered over to them. "Quick! Get inside before they see you!"

They looked at each other, not sure whether to trust this man. "Should we?" Dawn asked.

"Well, as long as he's trying to help us," Brock said.

They quickly ran over to the building, which happened to be an inn. Once getting inside, the man quickly closed the door, locking it. "You know, you kids have a lot of guts being in the streets after curfew," he said. He then turned around and looked at them in surprise. "Wait a minute, you don't look familiar at all."

"Well, we're not exactly from here," Ash said.

"That's because you're from the world of light, aren't you?" the man said, smiling, catching them by surprise. "I figured that since you seem to be carrying Pokemon. There are no Pokemon in this world."

"None at all?" Dawn said.

"Nope, in fact the three you have right there are the first I've ever seen," the man said, chuckling. "Oh, my name is Tom, by the way. I run the inn here for the city. Guess since I have guests, I should make them feel at home."

"Hold on a second!" Lucario said, getting in front of the group. "How do we know you're not a spy?"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Tom said. "It's one thing to see a Pokemon, but one that talks, this is incredible!" He then started to panic as an Aura Sphere started to form in Lucario's one paw. "Look, I'm no spy! I'm just an innkeeper! Honestly!"

"Thats enough Lucario!" Ash said. Lucario glanced at him and then lowered his paw. "So, you said something about a curfew?"

"Oh yeah," Tom said. "It was instated about a week or two ago. I always try to make sure to be here way before curfew. The punishments are rather severe, at least from what I've heard."

"Look, we need to find a way to get to the fortress on the hill," Brock said.

Tom then started laughing. "Well, I wish you luck with that. You try going there and you're as good as gone!" He then stopped laughing once looking at their expressions. "Oh, you were being serious." He then sighed. "Look, why don't we go into the dining room. I'll explain everything."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, so I wanted to keep going here, but I couldn't find another place to break off so this is the best place I could find. To be honest, it was kind of last minute to add that little suspense theme at the beginning. Anyway, hope this turned out alright. We'll finally see what the whole story behind this is as well as something else going on in the other world. Enjoy the fun.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	19. The Second Battle of Jubilife City

Chapter 19: The Second Battle of Jubilife City

"So we've come up with a battle plan?" Cresswell said.

"Yes sir," one of the officers said. He pointed to the map on the table, displaying the city. "As we know, the enemy will attack from all four entrances. We've assembled a coalition of officers and trainers in the middle part of the city. We were able to get trainers from Twinleaf Town and Sandgem Town, so our numbers have doubled."

Cresswell sighed. "Do we have any _other _suggestions?"

"Actually sir, we do." He looked over and there stood three trainers.

"And you are?" Cresswell asked.

"The name's John," John said. "And these are my friends Trey and Cole. We think we might be able to improve this battle plan of yours."

The officers then looked to Cresswell, waiting for an answer. Cresswell smiled. "At this point, I'll take anything. What do you propose?"

"Well, if we're going to be surrounded by four sides, then we're going to be cut off," John said. "I'd say we take the numbers we have and split them, having some take high spots in the buildings to flank them, but also have some trainers hide out in the front parts and once they're far enough into the city, we come out from behind, surrounding them on both sides."

Cresswell glared at his officers, obviously annoyed with his officers' lack of tactical skills. He then smiled at John. "Now _that _sounds like a good plan. We'll do that then. Has anyone ever commented on your tactical skill?"

John smiled, while shaking his head. "No, sir."

"If we make it through this, you might have a future in something," Cresswell said.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, it's finally time to hear some music from the 11th movie. Once again, I have to let you know that the names are in Japanese, so don't think the name is wrong. Anyway, the name of the song is "Kamigami no Tatakai.")

* * *

Tom then lead the group to the dining room, which was rather large. After closing the door behind them, he ushered them all to take a seat. "You're probably wondering what's going on here and why this is all happening," he said. He sighed. "Things weren't always like this. It used to be somewhat peaceful around here, at least in the city. The forest, it's not a place you want to be at. They say you stay there long enough, you'll end up going insane."

May frowned, realizing how easy it was for her to hallucinate. "So do you know who's behind all this?" Ash said.

"A couple of years ago, we had a leader who always believed in keeping peace with those on the other side, even though they do not know we exist. However, they say there was a conspiracy against him by those in government and the people here, which led to his death. Afterwards, that was when Xanatos came in, or _Lord _Xanatos as we refer to him now. While it was peaceful at the time, I knew as well as most people that he had a grudge against those living in your world, though I'm not sure why. However, he soon went from a leader to a dictator. It is he who leads this city, and no one else. Even at that point, it wasn't that bad. But then came the experiments."

"Experiments?" Dawn said.

*Tom nodded. "Remember the forest? Well, scientists started researching this dark energy that seemed to fill the forest. They did tests and soon realized that this energy could take the form of any life form. Xanatos soon realized that he could turn this energy into the perfect weapon: have them become Pokemon. However, these wouldn't be your regular Pokemon, as they can change their form without effort. Of course, there were test failures as they couldn't quite control them at first, which lead to many of them dying. Soon, scientists were able to finally get the combination right. And as such, their numbers grew from ten, to hundreds, to thousands, and even to millions. All of a sudden, Xanatos had his own private army."

"Private army?" Brock said.

"Right," Tom said. "They are the same creatures I'm sure you've encountered before. Their numbers are almost limitless. Each day and night they patrol the streets, looking for conspirators and spies."

"So there is no other way to get inside that fortress?" Dawn asked.

"There is... one way," Tom said. "Unfortunately, it's almost equally as dangerous. About three blocks from here, there is a sewer line that leads to the bottom part of the fortress. Unfortunately, it leads straight to the research facility."

"Let me guess, that's where they hold those creatures?" Drew said.

"And possibly even worse things there," Tom said. "I hate to think what they would be working on down there. Also, the research facility consists of two floors, making it even more difficult to reach the top. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We don't have a choice," Ash said. "Our world depends on us now." Everyone else nodded.

"I see," Tom said. "Well, it's probably best you head there now, while it is still nighttime here. Remember, three blocks from this site, you can't miss it."

"Right," Ash said. "Thank you Tom."

* * *

(A/N: Another one? The song here is "Ominous" from FFX. Actually, this chapter is going to have a bunch of songs, so I'll tell you the one that comes right after this one. The song is called "Cave" from Brawl. )

* * *

"No problem," Tom said. He then led them over to the one exit. He checked outside and saw that the coast was clear. He then sighed, and looked over to them. "I'm sorry that we're doing this," he said. "We never wanted something like this to happen."

"Don't worry about it, Tom," May said. "You're not the ones to blame."

Tom nodded. *He then opened the door. "Hurry, before the next patrol comes around."

They nodded and quickly left the inn. Once getting back outside, they headed north, staying out of sight from the night patrols. "Is there a chance that they could be guarding down in the sewers as well?" Dawn asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Lucario said. His ears then perked up as he detected something. "There's another patrol coming by."

They then hid again in one of the nearby alleyways as another patrol walked on by. Once it was clear, they continued on their way. After going another two blocks, they soon came up to what looked like a sewer grate.

"Well, I guess this is it," Ash said.

"Great, we get to go down a sewer," May said sarcastically, with Dawn having the same expression.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad," Brock said, as he and Drew lifted up the grate. Looking down, they saw a ladder which thankfully led to concrete land.

*They each made their way down to the inside of the sewer, where it was rather dark as well. Luckily, it didn't smell as bad as they thought. "It's really dark down here," Dawn said.

"Maybe I should bring out Chimchar," Ash suggested.

"No," Lucario said. "If there are guards down here, they'll notice us quickly. I'll lead the way."

They went forward in the sewer, which mostly went in one direction. "So, once we get to the research facility, are we going to end up encountering anything there?" Drew asked.

"Unfortunately, something inside me is telling me that we will, which worries me," Brock said. "We have no idea what they could be experimenting there."

The last sentence instantly gave everyone chills. "I just can't believe that they were able to turn a form of energy into living creatures," Dawn said.

"Yeah, and be able to reproduce them at such a fast rate," Ash added.

"That's the nature of science," Brock said. "It can lead to the greatest discoveries, and the worst atrocities of the world." Pikachu lowered his head. He would know very well the atrocities that can take place when Pokemon are experimented on.

"Even when this is over, I don't think anything will change," Drew said. "People have their own ideas, and if what they say is true, then that forest area will always stay that idea."

"But one thing doesn't make sense," Dawn said. "If this place is so bad, and people here hate it, then why is there such a place in the first place?"

"It's like you've said before," Lucario said. "This world and our world are two sides of the same coin. One side symbolizes the good in all things, and the other symbolizes the evil in all things. Pretty much, one depends on the other to flourish."

"One depends on the other," Ash said quietly.

They soon found out to their relief that there was no one down here in this area. Finally, they reached what appeared to be the entrance to the research facility. Unfortunately, the door seemed to be sealed shut and could only be opened by a number code.

"Now how are we supposed to get through?" May asked.

Her answer came as Lucario used Metal Claw to smash the control, which ended up unlocking the door. He smiled. "It pays to be a Pokemon sometimes."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, this is now where the magic of Harry Gregson-Williams takes place. The first song I have here is called "The Battle" from The Chronicles of Narnia.)

* * *

*Cresswell stared outside of his window at the rising sun. It was a new day, but it was also going to be a rough day. The enemy was getting close to the city, and all he can do is put the fate of their city in young but strong trainers. He wish there was more he could do.

"Sir?" He looked over to one of his officers who was standing at the door. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"That's all I ever hear these days," Cresswell said. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid while though enemy forces are heading this way, it's been reported that other major cities in Kanto, Hoenn, and Johto are about to be attacked as well."

"Why am I not surprised?" Cresswell said. "Is it the same situation there?"

"Yes sir," the officer said. "Defensive measures have been established."

"And so it begins," Cresswell said.

Meanwhile, out in the city, a massive amount of trainers and police personnel, along with their Pokemon, filled the streets inside the middle part of the city. Among them stood John, Trey, and Cole in the front. Trainers were stationed in the top floors of the nearby buildings, while other trainers were hiding out in the outer limits. All positions were set. All they had to do now was wait.

All of a sudden, S1 Unit 5 came down to where the trainers and reported their reconnaissance. "They say that the enemy has reached the city's outer limits," Trey said.

"I have a feeling despite our numbers, we'll still be outnumbered," Cole said.

"Numbers don't win a battle, Cole," John said.

"Yeah, but we sure could use them right now," Trey said.

The trainers and Pokemon stood there, waiting for the enemy to appear. It wouldn't be long before they started seeing the Shadow Pokemon, not just in front of them but also behind them and to their left and right. They came their way, in straight lines, marching like an armed force. Even as they made their way into the city, they did nothing. They kept marching forward, ignoring everything else.

John took a deep breath and then stepped forward. He stared at the approaching army and then turned back to the group of trainers with their Pokemon. He could sense the fear in them, but also what seemed like determination.

"I know how you're feeling right now," he said. "I'm afraid myself. But, I look at all of you and can't help but feel reassured because even though you have that same fear, you still stand here, you and your Pokemon. It's strange. We have never been put in a situation like this before. We face a life or death situation and our own world depends on us now. We face total elimination. Not just the people here, but all the Pokemon as well. It is our duty as trainers to help and protect the Pokemon. All I ask you now, is that with death staring at you square in the eye, what will you do now?"

His question was answered by a roar of cheers coming from all the trainers and Pokemon. John smiled. It was strange, looking at all these trainers, young and old. Even so, they were united under one cause: to defeat this evil and save their world from certain doom.

"Are you with me?" he said to his two friends.

"'Til the death," Trey said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"When have we not been?" Cole said, smiling.

John chuckled. "Stupid question on my part," he said. He then turned around to face his enemy. They were continuing their way towards them. _"This is finally it," _he thought, as sudden attacks came from the topsides of the buildings, but they only kept moving forward, not taking any action although some were taken out. _"In the face of evil, what do we do? How do we respond?" _He then looked down to his faithful companion, Luxray. Luxray looked at him, smiling.

John nodded. He then turned back to the group of trainers. "Now is the time for both humans and Pokemon to finally become one! Today is the day we show all those against us the love and friendship we show our faithful companions! 'Til death take us!" This caused a bigger roar of cheers. "Now, it is our time to fight! Trainers, are you with me!?" The trainers cheered even louder. "Then let's finish this fight! Charge!"

The Pokemon, who were anxious enough already, then charged towards the Shadow Pokemon. They ran right up to the enemy and crashed into them. With the attacks from the buildings and the sudden charge, the enemy was quickly being flanked. Despite their numbers, the Shadow Pokemon weren't nearly as strong as the real Pokemon ripped right through their ranks.

John and his fellow trainers stared at the battle before them. The battle had truly begun.

* * *

(A/N: And this is only the start of it for HGW. This is going to be an interesting battle. Now, I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry it's a little shorter but I love the suspense XD. Anyway, trust me, this is going to be good.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	20. Research Facility

(A/N: Already we're starting off with a song. It's called "Danger Ahead" and yes its another Brawl song. You may also how the song sounds similar to the song I played two chapters ago. That's the idea. It pretty much shows the theme in this part of the story.)

* * *

Chapter 20: Research Facility

Ash and his friends suddenly found themselves in another building, this one much cleaner than the sewers. The one thing they happened to notice was that there were three main doors, one in front, one to the left, and the other to the right.

"Pretty much, we need to find a way up, and it could be in any of these rooms," Ash said. "Alright, we better split up. May and Drew, you take the left; Brock and Lucario, you take the front; Dawn, you'll be coming with me."

*Everyone else nodded and they went through each door. Ash and Dawn went through the right door, and of course the room was pitch black.

"Ugh, I can't see a thing," Dawn said.

"I'll look for a light," Ash said.

Dawn was feeling her way around the room, when she felt something like glass and was round. Once the lights turned on, she saw what she was touching and quickly screamed. Ash ran over to her and held her as he looked to what was in front of them.

They were in some sort of laboratory and in front of them stood glass chambers that held the very same creatures they've seen time after time. However, they appeared to be asleep for their eyes were closed. "So this must be what Tom meant," Ash said.

"Ash," Dawn said, scared. "They're breathing." And they were, in fact. They must've been in some sort of hibernation.

"What's this?" Ash said, noticing a piece of paper:

_March 22, 2009_

_After much time and patience, we were finally able to take the dark energy we had been collecting and were able to convert into a living form. At first, we thought we could turn them to into humans, but Lord Xanatos wanted to go one step further. He knew about the Pokemon which exist in the other world. We studied each Pokemon's characteristics and the attacks they use. _

_But there was something unique about these life-forms. They could change their molecular structure and could transform into any Pokemon at will. We had not expected this, but we knew we had made a success with this project. Unfortunately, we didn't look ahead._

_The life-forms tended to be very aggressive, and combined with such strength and power, became a hazard. Many of our colleagues were killed in the disaster, and we had no choice but to terminate them all, for safety precautions._

_Once again, we were back to square one, but we learned from our mistakes. Soon, we had finally created the perfect weapon. Thanks to the cloning process, we were able to mass-produce these beings and before we knew it, we had gone from ten to a hundred thousand in less than a week._

_Dr. Greg Davidson_

"This isn't a research facility," Dawn said. "Sounds more like a factory."

"Sure sounds like it," Ash said. "Well there's nothing else here." He then looked over and saw another door. "Well, let's see what's in the next room."

"Fine by me," Dawn said. "This place gives me the creeps."

* * *

May and Drew went into the room and gasped. The room was filled with tons and tons of books. It looked like a miniature library.

"I... wasn't expecting this," May said as they started to look around. She grabbed the first book she saw and looked through it. Inside of the book were pages of Pokemon, showing each picture of them as well as background info and stats. She then went to another book and saw that it contained the same material, but with Pokemon from a different region. "Drew... are you noticing anything about these books?"

"If you mean how about every book in here so far has been talking about Pokemon, then yes," Drew said. "This must be how they figured out to have those creatures learn every move from every Pokemon." He then frowned. "But something's not right."

"What do you mean?" May asked.

He then looked to her. "If no Pokemon live here at all, how could they have gotten this research?"

"That's a good point," May said. "Perhaps they did live here at one point?"

"I doubt it," Drew said. "I don't know how any Pokemon could live here. It gives me the creeps, and if _I'm _saying that, it has to be true. I'm just surprised it hasn't affected either of those Pikachu or Lucario. And that forest, if Pokemon did live there, they could've ended up caving in to the evil that lives there."

"I know," May said, shivering slightly. She hoped to never go back there again.

"Look, there's another door," Drew said, pointing to a door on their far right. "Let's see where this leads."

"Right," May said and they went into the next room.

* * *

Lucario and Brock went into the room and were taken aback. They had found themselves in a large control room. "Well, I guess this is a good start," Brock said. There were about four different computers and one main console in the room. It was then he noticed the only door in front of them. "Crap, it's locked," Brock said.

"Should I take care of it?" Lucario said, an Aura Sphere forming in his paw.

"Probably shouldn't do that," Brock said. "It could set off an alarm." He then went over to the main console. "I'm not quite the computer expert, but I'll see what I can do." He then looked at the module, and found what appeared to be the controls to the door. Unfortunately, whoever set this up was a fan of riddles. "Oh, great," Brock groaned. "Where's Professor Oak when you need him?" He then read the first riddle:

**1. A Politoed fell into a well 12 feet deep. He could jump 3 feet, but every time he jumped 3 feet, he fell back 2 feet. How many times did he have to jump to get back out of the well? **

"Hmm." Brock thought about it for a moment. "Aha!" he said. He then typed in ten for by the tenth jump, he was out of the well. The machine whirled for a second and then moved on to the next riddle"

**2.** **Some Psyducks were walking down a path. There was a Psyduck in front of two Psyducks, a Psyduck behind two Psyduck, and a Psyduck between two Psyducks. How many Psyducks were there in all?**

"Whoever this guy is, he's good with riddles," Brock said. He thought about it for a second. "Has to be three, because they're all in single file." He typed in three, and the machine whirled again. Finally, the last riddle came up:

**3. Almost everyone needs it, asks for it, gives it, but almost nobody takes it. What is it?**

"Now that's an easy one," Brock said. He typed in "advice" and the machine whirled one last time before he heard the door next to him unlock. He looked to Lucario and smiled. "I guess I would make Prof. Oak proud."

* * *

As it turned out, the next door Ash and Dawn went through turned out to lead out to a hallway. Following the hallway, they then found themselves face to face with May and Drew. Then a door to the right opened and Brock and Lucario came out. They all sweatdropped once seeing each other. "So much for that splitting up idea, Ash," Dawn said.

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," Ash said, grinning sheepishly while placing a hand behind his head. He then looked to the door on his left. "I guess this is the way then."

They all then entered the next room, which happened to be another large room, but luckily it only had one other door. To their dismay, however, it was locked. "You have got to be kidding me," May said.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, time for another song by yours truly, HGW. The song here is called "The Battle of Kerak" but I'm using the alternate version. If you're not sure what I mean, go to Youtube and just type that in. It's about 7 minutes long. I'm using this one because of a specific part. Also, this is going to be one of those songs where the scene changes, if you know what I mean. Oh yeah, I hate to do this, but because I'll never get this to line up right, I'm going to be skipping over parts of this song at certain parts so you really get the effect.)

* * *

*"I'll take care of this," Lucario said. He conjured up a large Aura Sphere and aimed it at the door, but after hitting it, the attack had done nothing, not even leave a scratch.

"Must be reinforced steel or something," Brock said.

"Great," Ash said. "Now what are we going to do?"

"Well, we better find a way to get through," Dawn said. "All of a sudden I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

Meanwhile, the battle in Jubilife City raged on. While the battle had moved towards the outer parts of the city, it was quickly becoming a stalemate. And of course, there were four different battles going on at the same time at this point. John was leading the battle in the north section.

The enemy had finally reached the inside part of the city and part two of the plan would be coming soon. Unfortunately, the Pokemon were starting to grow tired and the trainers were starting to feel panic as they only had so many in reserve. Even so, the Pokemon weren't willing to give up.

The first charge that John had ordered had stopped the enemy from advancing, but even he wasn't sure how long the line would hold.

Trey was part of the trainers on the east side. He noticed past the enemy's lines that there didn't seem to be anymore reinforcements. "Shit," he said. He then looked over to where John was. "Nows a good time, John."

(2:45) "John," one of the other trainers said. "Nows the best time to launch phase 2 of the plan."

"Alright," John said, "But let those know up above to give them cover." The trainer nodded. John looked ahead of him towards the enemy. He saw other trainers near the outside buildings. _"Got to plan this right," _he thought. He waited a bit as the remnants moved up. "Just a little closer," he said to himself. They kept moving forward.

The other trainers glanced at him nervously, wondering why he was waiting. But they felt he knew what he was doing. He was the leader after all.

"Come on," he said. "Make your way over, you little bastards." The trainers on the other side waited impatiently. John waited a couple of more seconds, hoping the Pokemon could hold on a bit longer.

Finally, he gave the signal, the other trainers seeing it and they called out to their Pokemon to charge from behind. They quickly ran up to the enemy, catching them off guard. It seemed they had finally been flanked, but something didn't seem right.

"Wait a minute," John said. He then looked to the sky and saw unfamiliar shapes fill the sky. "Shit!" he said. He then yelled to those in the buildings. "Quick, get out of there!"

The other trainers saw the flying reinforcements and quickly abandoned their posts. They had made it out just in the nick of time as the flying Shadow Pokemon started attacking everything in sight, including the buildings.

"John!" John looked over and saw Trey running over to him. "There's too many of them now. The trainers are calling their Pokemon back in case they're needed still. We're making our retreat back to the Pokemon Center."

"Got it," John said. Trey ran off along with the other trainers. He was about to call his Pokemon back when something exploded next to him, knocking him to the ground.

(5:04) He felt pain in his body as he tried to get up. He tried standing up, but he couldn't. For some reason, he thought he was experiencing shell-shock. As he tried to get up, he then heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He realized that they were coming right for him.

Realizing this was it, he closed his eyes and waited for it to all be over. However, nothing came and he opened his eyes. Looking up, he saw that his Pokemon: Luxray, Snorlax, and Crawdaunt; were holding them off. He got up and stared at them with surprise. They were holding them to protect him.

"Luxray, Snorlax, Crawdaunt..." he said. They looked back to him, telling him to go, but he didn't want to leave them behind. He felt someone grab his arm and looked over seeing Trey. Trey was trying to pull him back, telling him they had to go, but John only struggled, calling out to his Pokemon. Finally, realizing it was no good, and with tears in his eyes, he then went along with Trey back to the Pokemon Center.

Once they got back, the other trainers let them in quickly, while boarding up the windows and doors. John went up against one of the walls and sat down. He couldn't believe it. After all he and his Pokemon had been through, they were gone, at least at this rate they would be. He sighed, but no tears came to his eyes, only grief.

He then looked over to Trey and Cole. "I knew it was going to end sometime, but I didn't think it would happen this early."

"What are you talking about?" Trey said. "We can pull through this. We just have to hold them back for awhile."

"Don't you remember what happened to Slateport City!?" John almost yelled. "Any second now we could be blown to bits!"

"That's not true," one of the trainers said, who was an older man. "That's not how they do it. They wait to wipe everyone out before blowing a city sky-high."

"And how would you know?" John said.

"Because I'm a survivor of Slateport City!" the man said angrily. It soon became very quiet. "Because of those damn bastards, I lost my wife and kids! I have every reason to make them pay!" He then took out a Pokeball and opened it, revealing a Houndoom. "Houndoom is all I have left," he said, petting the Pokemon while it whined softly.

"I'm... sorry," John said.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, at first I had lost hope of using this song since I don't know the name of the song or who wrote it. However, I do have a link to it. I have a bad feeling it might not show up in the chapter so I'll post it on my profile so you'll have the full link. Also, you're going to need QuickTime.)

* * *

*Suddenly, something barged against the doors. Everyone around quickly ran to them and braced against them to hold them back. "Damn it, they're trying to break through!" Trey said. He then looked over to John, who was still lying there. "Come on John, we need your help!"

"What's the point?" John said. "It won't be long before they get in anyway."

"Excuse me? What did you say?" Trey said. "That doesn't sound like the John I know. He was always there to help those in need, not just lay around and quit. Is this how you're going to repay your Pokemon? By just laying there and admitting defeat?"

John then looked down for a second before looking back up with a determined face. "You're right," he said. "This is for them." He then went up to the doors and helped the other trainers.

One of the trainers took out of their Pokeballs they had been keeping in reserve. "Lopunny, use Ice Beam!" she said. Lopunny shot a beam of ice towards the doors, covering them in ice.

One of the Shadow Pokemon was trying to make it's way through one of the windows. "Houndoom, Dark Pulse!" the older trainer ordered. Houndoom then hurled a dark ball of energy towards the Pokemon, eliminating it. "That was for my wife and kids, you fucking bastards!" the man yelled.

John kept pressing his body against the doors. _"This is for you, Luxray, Snorlax, and Crawdaunt. For saving my life," _he thought. All any of the trainers could now do at this point was hope and pray for a miracle.

* * *

(A/N: Uh oh, things don't look good at this point. Hope Ash and Co. make it in time. Anyway, sorry about before. The only thing I hate about using long songs is getting them to align with a scene perfectly. I guess as long as you listen to the whole thing, you'll get the picture. Well, hopefully this turned out good, I think it did. Anyway, I'll be back soon with more. Oh by the way, those riddles are based on real ones, I just edited them a bit as you can see.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	21. Hope Is Fading

(A/N: Okay, there's a big part coming up here so we're going to need some battle music. The track I have here is called "Victory Road" from Brawl.)

* * *

Chapter 21: Hope is Fading

"So there's nothing here to open the damn door?" Dawn said.

"Nothing. No controls, switches anything," Brock said.

"Unless they know we're here," Drew said.

"Hey, what's this?" May said, picking something up from the ground.

"Looks like a memory card," Ash said.

Drew then took out his phone, took the card and inserted it into his phone. "It's a video," he said. Everyone else gathered around the small screen.

As it started, a man was seen in front of what must've been a camera. "Day 6," the man said. "The test subjects appear to in be fine condition. It has been taking some time to get the hormonal chemicals inside of them balanced out. Another problem was the fact that due to the power Pokemon control, they tend to use the power at will, causing us some minor problems and having to rebuild certain test labs."

All of a sudden there was an explosion in the background. One of the other scientists came onto the screen. "Sir, the experiments have gone berserk! They're destroying everything!"

"Damn it!" the man said. He then took the camera while it was still recording, showing the scene behind them as the Shadow Pokemon were destroying the lab. They then went into another room and sealed the door behind them. He then looked back into the camera. "As I've mentioned, the experiments are experiencing hormonal imbalances. They are very much like normal beings, and like normal beings they can be killed as well. Unfortunately, all our good work will be thrown away once again. I just hope we can get the formula down for the next brand of subjects. This is Dr. Gregson signing off." And the video stopped there.

"Great, not only are we stuck in this room, we're practically surrounded by killing machines," Drew said sarcastically.

All of a sudden, the group the sound of breaking glass. Ash and Dawn stared at each other in horror. "Dawn," Ash said. "You don't think that was...?"

"The creatures breaking out?" Dawn said.

Their theory proved correct as the door behind them was blown apart. Then, through the smoke, came three figures. *"Don't these things ever quit?" May said.

"Never do," Ash said. He then looked to Pikachu, "Let's take care of these guys, buddy."

"You too, Yuna," Dawn said, looking at her Pikachu.

"Good, I've been looking for a good fight for awhile," Lucario said.

The three Pokemon stared down their opponents and then attacked. Pikachu took the one on the left, using Quick Attack to confuse his opponent, and then attacked using Iron Tail. He hit his opponent, knocking him back, but only did some damage. Apparently these guys were tougher.

Lucario, meanwhile, was focusing on his enemy using more melee attacks, mostly Metal Claw. Of course, his opponent was skilled in melee as well as the two duked it out.

Yuna was more one who liked being on the offensive as she used a combination of tail whip and Iron Tail against her enemy.

After a bit, they were able to defeat their opponents, but it wasn't long before more showed up. "Exactly how many did you see?" Brock asked.

"...A bunch," Ash and Dawn both said, sweatdropping.

Both Pikachu and Yuna used thunderbolt and Lucario used Aura Sphere against these the new arrivals, taking them out but still, more came. They kept using the same attacks on each wave of attackers. Finally, after getting rid of one wave, it finally became quiet. Oddly enough, they heard the door behind them unlock and it opened.

Everyone sweatdropped. "You can't be serious," Dawn said.

"Reminds me of another video game I played," Drew said.

They then looked through the door and saw a ladder. "I guess that goes to the next floor," Ash said.

"Have they never heard of elevators?" May said, sighing.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, we're almost there. Anyway, time for yet another song. This is the last time you'll have to hear it so bear with me. The song is "Subspace Area Version 2" from Brawl. Like I said, it's the last time you'll hear that theme.)

* * *

*Once they all got to the next floor, they saw that they were in the main part of the facility. The one sign ahead of them pointed to them stairs nearby them. "Hold on," Lucario said. "I'm noticing more of them on this level."

"How many?" Ash said.

"At least three," Lucario said. "Don't worry, I'll take care of them." He crept up to the edge of the corner and waited till they got close. Then, with great speed and stealth, he used Metal Claw to wipe them, without even making a sound. "This way," he then said. They quickly made their way through the floor.

They then realized this level was a hospital ward. "You know," Brock said. "I'm not one who likes to steal, but with what could happen, we might need some first aid supplies."

"Good idea, Brock," Dawn said. They then got some bandages, wraps, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide. "Now if any of our Pokemon get hurt, we can at least help them before having to go to the Pokemon Center."

They continued on and without anymore interference, they were able to reach the rather large stairwell. Once they got to the top of the stairwell, they saw a huge set of doors before them. "I guess this is it then," Ash said.

* * *

(A/N: I guess maybe I should've just put this in the other note. Oh well, we're finally getting back to KH music. The song here is "Sacred Moon" from KH2.)

* * *

They opened the doors and now found themselves in what looked like a large palace. *"Wow," everyone said.

"Even for a place like this, it's still very beautiful," May said.

Ash then looked up and saw what looked a huge row of stairs. "And it's very big," Ash groaned. "It's going to take some time to get to the top. Come on, we better hurry."

Seeing there was no point in running, they started walking up the flight of stairs, which spiraled up many floors. "So now that we're here, what's the plan?" Dawn said.

"Simple, we need to take out this Xanatos once and for all," Ash said.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Ash," Lucario said. "Xanatos is very powerful. If you take him lightly, he will crush you like a bug."

"I won't. I'm not afraid of him," Ash said, determined.

"But even if we do defeat him, how will it stop all of this?" Drew asked.

"Xanatos is the one who controls all of these creatures," Lucario said. "You can say he's the main brain behind all of this. We take him out, they'll have no one to look upon. They'll end up being like sitting Psyducks."

"Don't worry, Ash," May said. "We'll all stick behind you in this final battle."

"Hey, no need to worry," Ash said, which made Dawn smile. "I know that's your line, Dawn, but I'm saying it too."

Finally, they got what appeared to be flat land, but it was obviously not the top as another flight of stairs went upward. However, they noticed a figure standing near the next flight of stairs. "I was wondering when you would finally show up," he said. He then looked up to them, revealing to be Mathias, with a fierce glare. "Now that I have you here, I can finally get my revenge for what you did to my Alicia!"

"Why do you care about her so much?" May said angrily.

"You little bitch! How dare you say that!?" Mathias said angrily. "Alicia was my first and only love, and you took her away from me!"

"Well maybe if she wasn't fighting for the wrong side, then she would still be alive!" Ash almost yelled.

Mathias glared at him, but then sighed. "I never wanted this to happen to either of us," he said. "Alicia was going down a path I knew I wasn't supposed to follow, but I couldn't stand leaving here. She told me that she was fed up with her life, and wanted to make a new start. I told her that whatever she does, I would stay by her side. Unfortunately, I hadn't expected this. Once she gave her heart to darkness and joined Xanatos, I knew I couldn't bring her back. So I did what anyone would possibly do. I went along with her." Tears then came to his eyes. "But after that, she changed, and she was no longer the Alicia I knew, but even so I was still in love with her. Somewhere inside of her was the friend I had known for so long." He then looked back up to them with anger in his eyes. "So that is why I must find and kill the one responsible for her death!"

Everyone looked over to Lucario and he nodded. He then stepped forward. "It was I who delivered the fatal blow," he said.

"What? A Pokemon?" Mathias said. "But that's impossible! Alicia could never fall to a creature such as a Pokemon!" The look in Lucario's eyes made Mathias see the truth. "I see," he said. "Then I guess I'll have to dispose of you then."

Lucario then looked to the others. "Quick. Go on without me. I'll take care of this," he said. The others nodded and continued up the next flight of steps.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I know that before I said I would never use songs that had already been used, but this song is just too perfect to pass up. You would remember it from my last story. It's called "Full Circle" from MGS4. Do I feel like a hypocrite? Maybe. Also, the song I plan on using after this is "It's a Counterattack!" from the 8th Pokemon movie. Enjoy this little scene.)

* * *

Mathias looked over the Aura Pokemon. "I see you have a lot of skill as a Pokemon," he said. "But we'll have to put that to the test."

"You know that I do not want to fight you," Lucario said, taking a stance.

"You should've thought of that before you killed Alicia!" Mathias said. *He then charged at Lucario with great speed and caught Lucario by surprise as he grabbed him and threw him to the floor. Lucario rolled away before he give a blow, and quickly got up. He then studied his foe curiously, waiting for his next attack. Mathias went at him again, but Lucario was already and teleported behind him, using force palm against the back of his neck, which sent him crashing onto the ground. Lucario was about to attack with Metal Claw, but Mathias teleported safely away from him.

He then appeared behind him. "So you want to play games, huh?" he said, brandishing two knives. "Alright, we'll play then." Lucario then activated Metal Claw on both his paws, for both defensive and offensive purposes. "I'm going to enjoy this," Mathias said.

He charged once again at Lucario and tried to stab Lucario but he fought back with Metal Claw. They kept engaging each other, swiping at each other when they could but then Lucario countered, pushing him back and then kicking him down to the ground.

Mathias then got up and was breathing heavily. "You're skilled indeed," he said. "But it doesn't matter, for eventually I will overpower you and kill you, fulfilling my revenge."

Lucario was kneeling on one knee, catching his breath. *He then got up and faced Mathias. "Very well, if that's you want, then I'll fight you to the very death," he said. He then lunged at Mathias with even greater speed, hitting him and disarming him. Mathias went back to hand-to-hand and tried grabbing Lucario, but Lucario was way too skilled for that. He threw him over and hit him square in the face. Mathias, stunned by the attack, was falling back, almost losing his balance. Taking advantage of the situation, Lucario knocked him to the ground, but Mathias was quick enough to kick out his legs and trip Lucario.

He was about to get up when he felt a blade against his throat. He looked up to see Mathias grinning at him. "Any last words?" he said.

Lucario only smiled. "You just don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" Mathias said.

"You don't have what it takes to kill me," Lucario said. He then used Metal Claw and swiped him across the face. Mathias crumbled to the ground, screaming in pain. Lucario looked at the human while he was holding his face. It was strange, but he actually did feel some pity for the human.

Mathias then got up, completely enraged with a large gash on the side of his face. "You bastard!" he yelled. He then ran at Lucario just to have himself knocked to the ground again. He tried getting up, but he was struggling now.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, last song of the chapter. This should be a good one. The name of it is "Peril" and it is from FFX, no surprise there.)

* * *

Ash and his friends had finally made it to the next floor. Unfortunately, there was still one more left to go. "This thing goes on forever!" Dawn said.

"Maybe we should take a quick rest," Brock said.

"Probably a good idea," Ash said. However, their break wouldn't last long.

*All of a sudden, the surrounding windows shattered as dozens upon dozens of Shadow Pokemon entered the area. They landed on the ground and quickly surrounded the group. "Oh, this is not good!" May said.

"Ash! You go on ahead!" Dawn said. "We'll keep these guys busy!"

"Are you sure?" Ash said.

Dawn smiled. "No need to worry, right?"

Ash nodded, and continued upwards, while Pikachu looked back with an assuring glance while Yuna looked to him compassionately.

"Alright," Dawn said. "Piplup, Ambipom, Pachirisu, Buneary, and Mamoswine; come on out!" She called out all of her friends and were prepared for battle.

"Sudowoodo and Croagunk, you as well!" Brock said, calling out his Pokemon.

"Beautifly, Delcatty, Blastoise, Venusaur, and Blaziken, take the field!" May said.

"Don't forget about us!" Drew said. "Roserade, Absol, Flygon, Masquerain, and Butterfree!"

All the Pokemon then stared down their foes. "Now," Dawn said. "Yuna – Charge Beam, Piplup – BubbleBeam, Ambipom – Swift, Pachirisu – Discharge, Buneary – Ice Beam, and Mamoswine – Ice Shard!"

"Sudowoodo – Double-Edge, and Croagunk – Brick Break!" Brock said.

"Beautifly – Aerial Ace, Delcatty – Shadow Ball, Blastoise – Hydro Cannon, Venusaur – Solar Beam, and Blaziken – Overheat!" May said.

"Roserade – Solar Beam, Absol – Water Pulse, Flygon – DragonBreath, Masquerain – Ice Beam, and Butterfree – Psybeam!" Drew said.

The Pokemon attacked at the same time, taking out plenty of the Shadow Pokemon in front of them. However, one particular one dodged it and landed behind Dawn without her noticing. It then charged up what looked like a Dark Pulse attack. Yuna looked over and saw the Pokemon and quickly ran to Dawn and jumped over just as the attack was released. It hit Yuna directly, which caused her to be knocked back and hit the ground hard.

"Yuna!" Dawn cried out, going to her. She picked her up and held her gently.

Yuna opened her eyes weakly, looking to Dawn and smiled weakly. "Pikapi," she said.

Dawn smiled. "I think you earned yourself a good rest," she said, holding Yuna in her arms as she continued her attack against the Shadow Pokemon.

* * *

(A/N: Wow, somehow this chapter took me longer to do than usual. Oh well. I realized I had to have a Lucario battle somewhere in this story and had to have awesome music, so I had to go back to MGS4 :\. Anyway, we're getting close to the final battle, but before that, I got something just as good in store. What, you may ask? Well, you'll have to find out next time, Bwahahahaha.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	22. Aura vs Darkness

(A/N: Okay, we already got a song to start off with here. It's from Super Mario Galaxy and it's called "Galaxy Planet.")

* * *

Chapter 22: Aura vs. Darkness

*Ash and Pikachu continued their way up towards the top. "It's all up to us now, Pikachu," Ash said. "Everyone's depending on us."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said, with a determined look.

Ash had been running up the stairs for quite some time and was starting to become exhausted. He stopped for a second to catch his breath. "No," he said, still walking forward. "Can't stop now." They were finally getting near the top. "Hey Pikachu," Ash said. "I know this may not be the best time to ask this, but you love Yuna, don't you?"

Pikachu was taken aback by this, but nodded.

"Well, guess we both have something to fight for," Ash said. "For Yuna, Dawn, and the others." They had reached the top and before them stood another door. "Well, I guess this is it, then. You ready, buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu said.

* * *

Mathias was breathing heavily while looking at Lucario, livid. "Now I'm going to make you experience a slow and painful," he said. "Perhaps then you'll know how Alicia felt before she died!"

He was about to charge at Lucario before another figure appeared in front of him. "No, Matthew," Henrik said.

"Get out of the way, Henrik," Mathias said. "This doesn't concern you."

"Yes it does," Henrik said. "Do you really think Alicia would want this?"

"In case you haven't noticed Henrik, he's the one who killed her!" Mathias yelled. "I have the right to avenge her death!"

"And she would've done the same thing if she were in his shoes!" Henrik said angrily. "If she was fighting for what she believed was right, she would take the lives of those who threaten her. But don't you see? She never wanted this."

"Why are you defending him!?" Mathias said, shocked. "If he wasn't hiding behind you like a coward, I could've taken care of him already."

"He's not the coward, you're the coward!" Henrik said. "You knew what Alicia planned to do, and instead of helping her, you just let her go down a path she should've never gone!"

Mathias fell onto his knees, tears coming to his eyes. "Fuck this shit!" he yelled, taking his knife and stabbing it into the ground. "I didn't know at the time! I wanted to help her, but I didn't want to put her in anymore pain. I cared about her so much." The tears then streamed down his face. "You're right. She wouldn't want me to become this." He then looked over to Lucario. "Perhaps... what you did set her free. I had not thought of it like that. Forgive me." Lucario nodded.

Henrik then reached out his hand to him. "Come on," he said. "Perhaps its time that we head back home. Our _real _home."

Matthew smiled. "I like the sound of that." He then took Henrik's hand, lifting him up. He then gave Henrik a hug and after that, vanished. Lucario meditated for a minute before realizing the others were in trouble. He then teleported to their location.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, so I already had a song in mind for this, but of course Youtube happens to have those songs but something else is put in it. Anyway, I'm afraid you'll have to Youtube this but the name of the song is "Bowser Prepares For Battle" from SMG.)

* * *

Ash and Pikachu entered the next room, which was dimly lit. They walked to the center and looked around but saw nothing.

"So, the Chosen One has finally arrived." They looked over and saw a man who was sitting what looked like a throne.

"Xanatos," Ash said while Pikachu growled.

*Xanatos chuckled as he got up from his seat. "I've been expecting you for some time. I knew my... "associates" wouldn't be able to take care of you, so I had prepared myself for the worst. I have heard of your skills as a Pokemon trainer. Very impressive. Perhaps the gods knew what they were thinking when they chose you as the one to save your little world."

"You're right," Ash said. "And I'll make sure you're the next one to go, Xanatos."

"You are brave indeed," Xanatos said. "I admire that. However, I have to admit I admire your Pikachu."

"And why is that?" Ash said, while Pikachu had a confused look on his face.

"You know as well as I do that your Pikachu is unique," Xanatos said. "Yes, I've been studying you for a long time. And yet, with the skills your Pikachu has, he hasn't evolved yet."

"That's because he chose not to evolve!" Ash said. "And until he says he wants to, that's how it'll be."

"I see," Xanatos said. "I would've thought you would want your Pikachu's power to increase as it evolved, but even so, your Pikachu has potential. Which brings me to my next point." He looked back to Ash. "If he is as special as everyone thinks, then perhaps maybe he should prove himself."

"Is this some sort of trick?" Ash asked.

"Oh no," Xanatos said. "I only wish to see how powerful Pikachu is. Besides, it's not like you to turn down a challenge."

Ash hesitated, and then looked at his friend. Pikachu had a serious but determined look on his face. "You're willing to do this?" Pikachu nodded. "Alright then, buddy, let's show him what you're made of."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, this is the moment I've been waiting for. This song here I officially call my "trump song" if that makes sense. The song I have here is called "Advent: One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Unfortunately, once again this is a long song, so I have no choice but to skip to certain parts in this. Sorry. :( Or, if you want, you can just listen to the entire thing and get a sense of what's going on here and wait until the time number before continuing to read.. Your choice, really.)

* * *

*Xanatos laughed. "The determination in him is surprising as well. Now, it is time to bring in a friend of mine as well." All of a sudden, a cloud of dark energy entered the room. It sailed in front of Xanatos and then started changing it's form.

Before their eyes, what was once a dark cloud now stood a creature that resembled Pikachu in every way, except for the dark red eyes it possessed.

"How original," Ash muttered.

"It would only seem fair if this was an equal battle," Xanatos said. "But perhaps we should make this a bit more interesting."

(0:39) He snapped his fingers, and a square barrier surrounded the two Pokemon, which ended up covering the entire room. "Hey!" Ash said. "I thought you said this would be a fair fight!?"

"And it still is," Xanatos said. "If your Pikachu is so well trained, then he should be able to take care of himself easily. Neither of them can hear us now, so it's still a fair battle."

Ash gritted his teeth in frustration. "Fine," he said.

"And now we'll finally see how strong your Pikachu really is!" Xanatos declared.

Pikachu stared down his foe, not even flinching from the look he was being given. _"Well, this __ought to be fun," _he thought sarcastically.

(1:10) The dark Pikachu then lunged at Pikachu with great speed, causing Pikachu to dodge quickly, but it launched out a tail whip, knocking him against the barrier. He quickly dodged another attack and hit it with an Iron Tail attack. It was blown back but recovered as it landed on the wall. Pikachu then used thunderbolt, but the dark Pikachu quickly dodged them. Pikachu kept up the attack as it kept using thunderbolt. Soon, the dark Pikachu launched itself off the wall towards him and tackled him to the ground.

(1:45) Pikachu quickly kicked it off, and tried using Close Combat, but this Pikachu was skilled enough to dodge all of his attacks. It then used Slam to knock Pikachu to the ground. Pikachu, feeling bruises coming, got up and once again used Iron Tail, but his opponent used Iron Tail as well and the two both kept up the attacks, one only deflecting the other. Soon, they both flew back to both their sides. Pikachu, knowing the time was now, then charged forward using Volt Tackle, while his other started using it as well, except it's body was engulfed in purple.

They both collided, and the power was strong enough to cause a small explosion, blowing them both back. Pikachu struggled to get up, realizing that his strength was starting to leave him. His opponent, however, didn't seem nearly as affected. _"Got to finish this now," _Pikachu thought. He used Quick Attack, to try to confused his opponent, but it then used Charge Beam, hitting him directly and sending him back to the ground once again.

Not even willing to give up, he got up again. He was used to taking hit after hit like this. He then charged once more and jumped into the air, ready to use another Iron Tail. However, his opponent's fist starting to glow, and to Pikachu's horror realized it was a Focus Punch. The dark Pikachu was able to dodge the Iron Tail and hit Pikachu square in the face.

Pikachu was thrown back, hitting against the barrier rather hard, and fell to the ground. He tried getting up once more, but couldn't. Breathing heavily, he looked up to his opponent, waiting for him.

"No, Pikachu!" Ash said. He knew Pikachu couldn't hear him, but that didn't stop him. "You can do it! Believe in yourself!"

(3:13) Pikachu's eyes opened up quickly, but there was a different look in them now. His body started to glow yellow, as well as his eyes, and he quickly got to his feet.

"What is this!?" Xanatos said, surprised.

Using this newly formed power, Pikachu then charged at his opponent with even greater speed than before. His opponent charged as well and the two attacked each other with such speed that they then became balls of pure energy. The dark Pikachu, moving back, then launched a volley of Charge Beams at Pikachu, but now Pikachu was able to dodge them with ease.

He then launched a thunderbolt at him while it did the same, causing another explosion as the two were equally matched. (4:17) They quickly came at one another and both started using Close Combat, able to hit, kick, and punch one another. Pikachu then took his opponent and threw it against the barrier and was about to make another hit before it grabbed Pikachu by the neck and smashed him into the barrier as well.

The two then started to collide into each other once again, both using Agility. They knocked into each other, trying to see who would get knocked down first, but it looked like a stalemate at this point. The dark Pikachu used Charge Beam once more, but Pikachu was able to cut through it using Iron Tail and by doing so, hit it in the head directly. It seemed stunned, but quickly shook it's head to regain it's consciousness.

(4:52) The two then stared each other down, both admiring their opponent's power. However, now it was time to this end this, meaning one would have to take the fall. Pikachu then charged up the energy he had left in him, while his opponent did the same. Pikachu then launched forward, using Volt Tackle, while the other used Volt Tackle. The two collided and this time, the explosion was even bigger, due to the power each held. Smoke filled up where the barrier was. Ash looked at the smoke, hoping his buddy has pulled through.

(5:11) Once the smoke had cleared, Pikachu and the dark Pikachu had used the last of their energy that they now were engaging in a fist fight. They were exchanging punches between one another, punching each other either in the face or stomach. Pikachu already had a bloody lip and a bruised eye, but he kept going until the final drop of energy left him.

Soon, however, both were growing so weak that they couldn't even punch each other anymore and resorted to headbutting, but even that didn't last long. Finally, getting one last look at one another, they both collapsed to the ground, the dark Pikachu then dispersing into nothingness.

Xanatos was rather surprised. _"Hmm, perhaps I underestimated the Pokemon," _he thought as he went into the next room. The barrier then disappeared and Ash ran over to his long-time friend.

"Pikachu..." he said, picking him up. Pikachu opened his eyes slowly and looked to Ash, giving him a weak smile. Ash smiled as well. "Good to see you're still hanging in there. That was amazing. How in the world did you do that?"

"Pikapi," Pikachu said, not even sure himself how he did it.

"Well, you definitely earned a good rest," Ash said.

The doors behind him suddenly opened and standing there were the others. "Ash!" Dawn cried, running up to him. "Are you alright?" She then looked at Pikachu. "Oh my God, what happened to Pikachu?"

"He'll be alright," Ash said. "He had just had himself a rough battle." He then looked at her seriously. "Dawn, I want you and the others to get out of here, try to find an exit."

"But what about you?" Dawn said.

"I got some unfinished business to take care of," Ash said.

"But Ash, you can't fight him by yourself," Brock said.

"We fight as a team," May said, while Drew nodded.

"No," Ash said. "This is my fight, my destiny. If I'm the one who has to put this to an end, then so be it."

The others looked at each other, defeated. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Dawn asked.

"I have to Dawn," Ash said. "Only I and I alone can stop him."

"I see," Dawn said. She then looked up to him with tears forming in her eyes. "Just... be careful alright?"

"Aren't I always?" Ash said, smiling. He then put Pikachu into her arms, alongside Yuna. "Here, look after Pikachu for me."

"I will," Dawn said. She was about to turn back, but she then faced Ash again and pressed her lips against his. After a couple of seconds, they broke the kiss. "That's for good luck," Dawn said, smiling.

Ash smiled and then turned around and headed towards the next room.

Yuna smiled at Pikachu who was right beside her. "You don't look so well," Yuna said.

Pikachu chuckled. "I've been in worse conditions. This is nothing."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, now if that wasn't epic, I don't know what is. We got ourselves another interesting song here, and it's a Zelda song but it fits well here. The song is "The Dark Interlopers.")

* * *

Ash entered the next room, but did not see Xanatos. Then, he looked around and saw him staring out of one of the windows.

"Amazing, isn't it?" he said. "You're probably asking yourself how such a world could exist or why it exists. *Well, it all started back in ancient times. As we all know, Arceus, the Alpha Pokemon, came into existence and created the world you know so well as the Pokemon world. He was the creator of all Pokemon and humans as well to act as guardians to protect these Pokemon. At the time, things were peaceful, and there were no problems, no crimes being committed. All was peaceful... until one day.

"It was that day that changed everything. Near one of the local villages, a group of raiders decided to attack the village for supplies. However, once they did attack, they not only stole supplies, but also committed terrible crimes. They went after the women and raped them, and killed whatever children crossed their path. However, they were then outnumbered by the warriors who lived there and ended up surrendering. However, the village people thought they must be punished in the most extreme way.

"The local shaman then prayed to Arceus, and his followers Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina, asking for help and guidance. They then appeared and Arceus decided as punishment, the men were to be exiled to another world, a world that would then be known as the world of darkness. Soon, peace had returned to the village, but those men wouldn't be the only ones to arrive here. Over centuries, more and more came, and they knew that they needed somewhere to live. The forest here is said to be the filter of their sins, containing the worst combination of evil possible. They had to get away from the dreaded place or else they would surely suffer. So, they decided to take what they had and soon developed a city, the very same we see now."

He then looked over to Ash. "Now you see why I am doing this? I was unfortunate enough to be born in this terrible place. I thought it was time to make those in your world as well as the gods pay for the torture and unfair punishment they've put us through."

"And you think taking innocent lives will make things better?" Ash said.

"It doesn't matter to me whether I have to take lives or not," Xanatos said. "I'm doing what I believe is right."

"You got a twisted mind," Ash growled.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, better get ready for this. This next song is a KH2 song is called "Boss Encounter" I believe.)

* * *

Xanatos smirked. "I guess the only thing stopping me now is you. Very well." A blade then appeared in his hand, and a large one at that. "If you don't wish to step aside, then I'm afraid that'll cost your life dearly."

*He then charged at Ash, who quickly got his blade, and swiped at him. Ash managed to block it, but was pushed back due to Xanatos' strength. However, he quickly fought back as he used a combo of flurry attacks. Xanatos, impressed, was able to block them and quickly jumped back. Ash charged once again and attacked, trying to use lower attacks to catch him off guard, but Xanatos was a skilled swordsman.

He then knocked Ash to the ground and then launched himself in the air to give a death blow, but Ash managed to roll out of the way before he made the attack. Ash tried to get an attack in while he had the chance but Xanatos was still able to deflect it. Ash now realized he was at a disadvantage. _"Without Pikachu I'm all by myself here," _he thought.

Realizing he was losing focus, Ash almost got sliced in the throat if he hadn't noticed the attack last second. He then charged at the same time Xanatos did and their blades connected. "Do you really think you can win?" Xanatos said. "I'm one of the most skilled swordsmen in this world."

"Makes no difference to me," Ash said. "I'm used to being at disadvantages."

"And that will be your downfall," Xanatos said as he knocked Ash to the ground. Before Ash could get up, he then felt a blade against the back of his neck. "I guess the hero of the gods just wasn't strong enough in the end," Xanatos said. "Pity."

* * *

(A/N: Alright, this is going to be the last boss theme in this story. I hope I made a good choice. Anyway, we have another song from the 11th movie, called "Satoshi Toujou." Well, apparently it has the name Ash in it since his Japanese name is Satoshi and it's about him. Let's see if this works out. If not, oh well.)

* * *

*_"Is this really it?" _Ash thought. _"No! I haven't given up before and I won't give up now!" _All of a sudden, Ash's body started to glow, but this time it was blue.

"Is that...Aura?" Xanatos said, surprised. He smiled. "So, you show your true colors."

Ash then got up, a blue fire in his eyes. "Now I can feel it," he said. "The Aura is with me!" He then charged at Xanatos with renewed speed and strength. He swiped at him, giving blow after blow, and yet while Xanatos was able to block them, he was starting to feel _his _strength fade.

"No," he said. "It's not over 'til it's over!" He then started a flurry of attacks against Ash as well, but like him before, Ash was able to block them with ease. Jumping back, he then charged at Ash and their swords collided once again, sparks now starting to appear.

They looked at each other, determination both in their eyes. Finally, Ash was able to push him back and then attacked him with such force, catching even himself by surprise. He swiped and swiped at Xanatos, who was now losing his strength ultimately until finally, Ash broke through and stabbed him square in the heart.

Xanatos' eyes lit up in surprise as he saw the fatal wound. He then smiled. "Do you really think killing me will put an end to this?" he said, surprising Ash. "Even with me gone, nothing will change. The forest is so concentrated with evil that even Arceus himself would have a tough time destroying it. It will only be a matter of time before someone or something takes my place."

"Well, the world will be a little better with you gone," Ash said.

"I guess so," Xanatos said before falling to the ground, dead.

Ash then fell to his knees. "It's finally over," he said. "It's finally over."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Shadow Pokemon had managed to break into the Pokemon Center, surrounding the trainers and Pokemon on the main floor, John, Trey, and Cole among them.

"I guess this is it, huh?" Trey said.

"I'm afraid so," John said. "I'm just glad I was able to meet you two in the short lifespan we had."

"I couldn't agree more," Cole said. He then noticed that Trey was crying. "Trey, what's wrong?"

"I just wanted to see Dawn one last time!" Trey cried, causing both John and Cole to sweatdrop.

"Don't worry Trey," John said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll see her real soon."

Suddenly, the Shadow Pokemon surrounding them started to shift irregularly. Before their very own eyes, the Pokemon dispersed into particles.

The trainers and Pokemon had shocked looks on their faces. They then started cheering and laughing, as they quickly filled the street, seeing that all the Shadow Pokemon were gone. Even though he was happy, John couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness. His Pokemon had given their lives to protect his. How in the world could he repay them for that.

Something then caught the corner of his eye and he looked over. Out of the smoke and dust came three distinct figures. Looking closer, his face broke into a grin. "I don't believe it!" he said.

There before him stood Luxray, Snorlax, and Crawdaunt. Seeing their trainer, they quickly ran to him and knocked him over, but John was too happy to care.

Cole and Trent stood there smiling while their friend bonded again with his Pokemon. "It's always nice to have a happy ending," Trey said.

"Yeah," Cole said. He then looked up to the sky. "But how? How is this possible?"

* * *

(A/N: And... WE'RE GOING TO STOP THERE! I'm so horrible. Sorry, but if I kept going, then I'd have the longest chapter ever made. But don't worry, it's not over yet. The story I mean. What happens next? Find out next time.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	23. A Bittersweet Ending

(A/N: It's almost over. And boy do I have an arsenal of songs in this last chapter. The first I have here is "Hurry!" from FFX.)

* * *

Chapter 23: A Bittersweet Ending

Ash stood up then. The terror was finally over, and now they could finally return home. *All of a sudden, the ground below him started to shake. He then realized with horror that the fortress was starting to collapse, no doubt Xanatos' final card up his sleeve.

"Guess it's time to get out of here," Ash said, as he left the room. "Hope the others were able to get out." Ash started running down the giant fleet of stairs as the ceiling part of the fortress started breaking apart and pieces soon fell to the ground, taking out chunks of the stair case behind him. He then sprinted realizing if he didn't speed up he'd be squashed for good.

Suddenly, a chunk of concrete fell right in front of him, cutting him off. "Oh great," Ash said. He then took out a Pokeball. "Good thing I came prepared. Staraptor, I need your help!" There was a flash of light and Ash's flying companion appeared. "Sorry that I have to do this Staraptor, but I'm going to need your help getting out of here."

Staraptor nodded, understanding, as Ash got onto her back. They quickly lifted off into the air and headed towards one of the windows, using whirlwind to smash it.

* * *

Dawn and the others had found an exit and were to get out of the fortress. There they stood waiting for Ash to return. All of a sudden, however, the fortress started shaking and to their horror saw that the fortress was collapsing. "Ash!" Dawn cried, about to head towards the collapsing complex before Brock grabbed her, holding her back.

"Dawn, no!" Brock said.

"But Ash is still in there!" Dawn said.

"Dawn, it's too dangerous!" Brock replied. "You go in there, you won't make it back out!"

Dawn sighed, tears forming in her eyes. She could only hope and pray that Ash makes it out alive. All of a sudden, they saw something in the sky. Looking closer, they saw a familiar Pokemon.

"Staraptor!" Brock said.

"Then that means..." Drew started to say.

And who else could be on Staraptor's back but Ash! "He's alright!" May yelled.

Ash and Staraptor then landed, and Ash got off, petting her before calling her back. He then saw Dawn come up to him and then gave him a hug. "I thought I was going to lose you," Dawn said.

"Hey, you weren't doubting me were you?" Ash said, smiling.

"Never do," Dawn said, laughing slightly.

"So, it's over then?" Lucario asked.

"It is," Ash said. "Our world is safe once again."

"Thanks to the Chosen One, of course," Brock said, smiling.

"This is great and all," May said, "But one question?"

"What's that?" Drew said.

"How are we supposed to get home?" May said, causing everyone else to think the same question.

"Perhaps I can help with that?" a voice said. All of a sudden, a sphere of light appeared before them. It then grew brighter and brighter until it blinded their eyes.

Once the light subsided, they noticed they were no longer in the dark world but in their own. In fact, they were just outside Jubilife City. The sphere of light had appeared once again, but this time it took form, revealing a very familiar looking Pokemon.

"Palkia!" they all said.

The Legendary Pokemon smiled. "So, Ash, I see that you were able to pull it off after all. I guess we really did make the right choice then."

"Well, I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help," Ash said. "As well as the help I got from my friends, of course. I guess there's something I have to return to you."

But Palkia shook his head. "Keep it, Ash," he said. "You never know when you may end up having to use it again."

"That's true," Ash said, smiling.

"Now it is time for me to return back to my own dimension," Palkia said. "I bid you all farewell." And with that, he had disappeared.

All of a sudden, Yuna felt very tired and collapsed in Dawn's arms. "Yuna!" Dawn cried, looking down at her companion.

"We had better get her to the Pokemon Center," Brock said.

They then headed towards Jubilife and stopped in their tracks. "What in the-?" Ash almost yelled.

The city before them had obviously seen better days. The battle that had taken place managed to destroy some of the major buildings, but as a whole, the city still seemed together.

"Apparently we missed out on something," May said.

Once they finally got to the Pokemon Center, they immediately saw and recognized three trainers. "Hey John!" Ash yelled over to him.

"Ash?" John and Cole said. But Trey ended up running over and giving Dawn a hug.

"Dawn!" Trey said happily. "I thought I would never see you again!"

Dawn only laughed. "Hi Trey. No need to worry, I was going to come back sooner or later, but why would you say that?"

"You didn't hear about it?" John said.

"What happened?" Brock said.

"The city was attacked again," Cole said. "We were able to hold them off, but only barely."

"Yeah, we almost didn't make it," Trey said. "But just like that, they disappeared."

Ash then looked at the others, realizing it was truly their actions that helped save their world.

"Unfortunately, Jubilife wasn't the only place attacked," John said. "But apparently everyone's alright."

"That's a relief," Dawn said.

Then, a police officer came over to them. "Are any of you John, Trey, or Cole?"

"That would be us," Cole said.

"I was informed by Captain Cresswell to tell you that you all were to awarded for your acts of bravery defending the city at the ceremony tomorrow," the officer said.

"For real?" Trey said. They all looked at each other, and started laughing.

"My mother's sure going to love this," Cole said.

"Yeah, well my mother's probably going to start crying, saying how much of a man I've become," John said, sighing.

"Dawn," Brock then said. "We better get Yuna checked in."

"Right," Dawn said. She then informed the nurse of her Pokemon and then she and a doctor brought out a stretcher which they put Yuna on.

"Don't worry," the doctor said. "We'll make sure to take good care of her. Unfortunately, it'll take some time to see what's wrong with her but we should be able to find out by tomorrow."

"That sounds good to me," Dawn said. "I just hope she's okay."

"Don't worry Dawn," Ash said. "I'm sure she'll be just fine. I know I don't know her very well, but I can easily say she's as tough as Pikachu." He then yawned. "Wow, I'm feeling rather tired all of a sudden."

"Well, we didn't exactly get any sleep last night," May said. "But I could sure use a nap right now."

"Guess we better get some rooms then," Drew said.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, time for one more song from the 11th movie, and this one I'm sure you'll like. It's called "Daidanen," which apparently means "Finale" in Japanese.)

* * *

*The next day, the ceremony took place in the middle of Jubilife, where most of the battle had taken place. All the citizens had returned back home to attend it. The turnout was phenomenal.

John, Trey, and Cole, who were at the back, nodded at one another and then walked forward towards the giant podium where the mayor and Jubilife police personnel stood. They walked down straight in a line, glancing at the people who were staring back at them with smiles on their faces.

Captain Cresswell, who was among the officers, smiled at the young trainers. He was proud of their efforts, even though no one else knew the true heroes. After they all shook hands with him and the mayor, some of the officers brought out the medals, giving each one to Cresswell, who did the honors of placing each one around their necks. Smiling, the three trainers then turned around.

The crowd broke into applause and cheers. Ash, Dawn, Brock, May, Drew, and Lucario were among them. "I guess maybe we should keep our own little adventure quiet," Brock said.

"Yeah," May said, smiling. "Even though I think we should be up there as well."

Lucario smiled and then looked around. He then sighed. "Lucario, what's wrong?" Ash said.

"It's time for me to go, Ash," he said. He looked over to the trainer and smiled. "I've still got some time left to enjoy life around me. Sir Aaron would want me to go out and explore the world, experience it's beauty."

"Will we ever see you again?" May asked.

Lucario chuckled. "Depends on what happens in the future," he said. "But I have a feeling that's possible." He then stepped away from then. "Goodbye Ash, and all my new friends." And just like that, he teleported away.

Ash then noticed Dawn hadn't said anything. "Dawn, is everything alright?"

"Hmm?" Dawn said, looking up to him. "Oh, I'm fine. I just wish Yuna was here with us." Her thoughts then returned back to her newest companion.

* * *

Yuna was sitting in her bed at the Pokemon Center, hooked up to an IV. She sighed. _"Well, this isn't the first time I've been hooked up to something," s_he grumbled in her thoughts.

Suddenly, one of the nurses came in. "Hello there," she said in a sweet voice. "How are you doing? Feeling any pain at all?"

"Pika pika," she said, saying she was feeling some pain.

"I see. Don't worry, we'll just give you some painkiller and you'll feel a whole lot better," the nurse said. She then got a syringe, put some painkiller in it and then injected it into Yuna's arm. Luckily, needles didn't bother her at all anymore. "There you go," the nurse said. "Just give it a couple of minutes and you'll feel better."

She then left the room. She looked around in her empty room, wishing she had at least someone to talk to. All of a sudden, she then felt very tired and realized the nurse must've given her a little too much. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

* * *

(A/N: Alright, so once again I'm putting in another song that had already been used in this story. The song is "Disquieting" once again.)

* * *

She then found herself in what looked like an empty room. She sighed. "The day I finally end up having regular dreams, I think I'll finally be cured."

*"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Yuna." She looked over and saw her evil counterpart once again.

"Well, if it isn't the little bitch from hell," Yuna said, mocking her.

"Now, now," she said. "Is that any way a lady addresses someone? I thought you had learned proper etiquette."

"What do you want?" Yuna said.

"I thought we could catch up," her counterpart said. "It's been a little while since we last talked. I must say Yuna, you've gotten a lot stronger."

"And amazing how I didn't even need your help?" Yuna spat back at her.

"True, but I still think you wouldn't be in this position if we had worked together," her dark alter ego said.

"I don't give a damn if I was dead!" Yuna said. "Anything would be better than the alternative."

"I see," her alter ego said. "Well, I tried the best I could to turn you over." She then took an offensive stance. "Guess I'll have to use force then."

Yuna smirked. "I'd like to see you try." Then, with great speed, she ran into her alter ego and pinned her against the wall while grabbing her by the neck.

Her alter ego stared at her in surprise. "What are you doing!?" she almost shrieked.

"Something I should've done a long time ago," Yuna said, keeping her grip on her throat.

"Do you think killing me will do any good?" her alter ego said angrily. "You're just becoming what I wanted you to be!"

Yuna laughed. "That's funny," she said. "I didn't think you could kill something that doesn't exist!" And with that, her alter ego fell dead and soon disappeared. She sighed happily. "Glad the bitch is finally gone."

* * *

(A/N: Well, I did say I had an arsenal of songs here. This particular song is called "The Girl's Sadness." Dear God I hope I didn't give anything away.)

* * *

Ash and the others had returned to the Pokemon Center to see how Yuna was doing. "Is Yuna doing okay?" Dawn asked the doctor.

"She's doing fine," the doctor said. "But," he hesitated. "Well, maybe it's best if we talk in my office." Dawn, suddenly concerned, went with the others to his office. After closing the door, he then looked to them sadly. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. You see, the attack that was inflicted on her hurt her really badly. But normally, Dark Pulse wouldn't have an effect like this."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"I'm afraid that... she's dying," the doctor said. "We don't know why. The worst part is the fact that in an attack like this, she should already be dead. The only thing that's keeping her alive right now is her will to live."

Dawn suddenly felt her heart split in two. "I see," she said softly. She then got up. "Excuse me." She then left the room quickly. Pikachu then jumped off of Ash's shoulder and followed her. Ash was about to get up as well but a look from Brock told him to stay.

Pikachu ran out and down the hallway until he heard sobbing. *He then saw Dawn sitting at one of the chairs crying. "Pikapi?" he said quietly.

Dawn looked up to him while wiping tears away. "Oh, hi Pikachu." She then stopped when she saw that tears were in his eyes as well. "Oh Pikachu, I'm so sorry," she then said. She smiled. "I almost forgot that she really means something to you too."

Pikachu then jumped into her arms and she held him close as they both started to cry together. "Dawn?" She looked up and the saw the others staring at her along with the doctor.

"If you would like to see her, go on ahead," the doctor said.

Dawn nodded and she and Pikachu followed him to her room. Once she saw Yuna in her bed, she instantly smiled while Yuna smiled back. "Hi there," she said, taking a seat next to her. "You look a lot better."

Yuna giggled a bit. "Pikachu," she said.

"Yeah," Dawn said. "Pikachu and I were dying to see you earlier today." She then stopped, wishing she hadn't said the one particular word. Tears then came to her eyes again.

"Pikapi?" Yuna asked.

"I'm sorry," Dawn said. She then realized she couldn't hide it from here. "Yuna, I'm afraid I have some bad news. The doctors have tried to make you better, but the attack appeared to be fatal." She then started sobbing slightly. "They say you don't have much time."

Yuna looked to her, a little surprised. But she didn't feel sadness. Sure, she didn't want to leave Pikachu and Dawn, but it didn't affect her as much as she would've thought.

Dawn then wiped her eyes and looked down to Pikachu. "I'll leave you two by yourselves," she said. She then left the room.

* * *

(A/N: Oh no! Well, I have yet another song here but it's a good one and definitely one I had to put in. The song is "King's Fall" from Kingdom Of Heaven. Oh yeah, keep it playing after the scene change.)

* * *

Pikachu then went over next to her. "I'm sorry," he said sadly.

Yuna smiled while placing a paw to his cheek. "Don't be," she said. "I don't fear death. I've stared it down once before and managed to get away. I guess I just wasn't lucky this time."

"Yuna..." Pikachu said, taking her paw, but Yuna just shook her head.

* "Don't mourn over my death, Pikachu," she said. "It's just my time. My parents have been waiting for me for awhile and I know they'll be happy to see me." She then looked to Pikachu with a serious face. "All you can do now is move on in life. Don't keep thinking about the past. Stay with the present and look to the future."

"I will," Pikachu said. "But I'll never forget about you. Never. I love you. Forever and always."

Yuna smiled. "I love you too..." she said softly. She then closed her eyes slowly and her paw fell slowly out of his.

Pikachu just sat there, reality setting into his head. He closed his eyes as tears poured out of them once again.

* * *

_Two days later..._

Out in the cemetery in Jubilife, five figures stood before a casket. Ash and the others had dressed up for the occasion, with the guys wearing a suit and tie and Dawn and May both wearing a black dress.

Dawn, with Pikachu in her arms, went over to the casket, where Yuna's body laid. She smiled at how peaceful Yuna looked and placed a hand on top of her head, softly petting her soft fur. "Even when she's gone she still looks beautiful," she said to Pikachu. "She... had a hard life, but now she's at peace, finally reunited with her parents." She then bent down and lightly kissed her on the forehead. "I'll never forget you, Yuna."

She then went back to the others and gave a hug to Drew; and then to May, who also had tears in her eyes; and then to Brock. But once she got to Ash, she couldn't hold her tears in any longer and cried into his shoulder as he held her, rubbing her back.

After breaking the hug, she then looked to the others. "If it's okay," she said. "Pikachu and I would like to be ourselves for a little bit." The others nodded and then walked away.

As she and Pikachu stood there, a breeze came in, blowing her hair back slightly. It was a new experience, losing one she was close to. Because not only was Yuna a friend, but she was also part of her family, with Piplup and the others.

She sighed and then looked down to Pikachu, petting him behind the ears. She then turned around and went to where the others were, not able to watch the burial.

"Dawn, are you alright?" Ash said once she came back.

Dawn didn't say anything for a minute. "No Ash, I'm not," she said, her head down. She then looked to him. "But I will be, someday."

May slightly gasped, but smiled slightly. "Dawn," she said, going up to her. "I know exactly how you feel. I had to say goodbye to one I loved very much as well. The sad thing is, I don't know if I'll ever him again. But, even so, when I think about him, I don't feel sad, I feel glad that I got to meet him and I'll never forget about him."

* * *

(A/N: Sorry I keep interrupting but I still got a bunch of songs to put out :\. Anyway, this song is called "Family" from SMG.)

* * *

*"You're right," Dawn said. "To me, Yuna was a part of the family I have, along with Piplup and the others. I know they'll miss her, but she'll always be in her hearts. And I know deep inside that she wouldn't want me to keep worrying about her. Even though I know I'll have one of those moments every once in awhile," she added, giggling slightly.

"Hey, as long as she's in your heart, she'll always be with you," Ash said.

Dawn smiled. "I know she will be."

* * *

(A/N: I know, I know, this is getting annoying but I don't know how else to do this. Anyway, we're getting to the end. Unfortunately, this is kind of another sad part, at least I think so. The song here is "Endings" from Star Fox Command.)

* * *

The next day, Ash and his friends stood outside of Jubilife. It was time for May and Drew to head back to Johto,

*"So, this is goodbye, huh?" Ash said.

"Yeah," May said. "At least for now, anyway. I'm sure the next time we meet up we'll be pulled into another adventure."

"Well, with Ash, that's always a possibility," Brock said, smiling.

"I guess it's time for us to head off then," Drew said.

"Oh, Dawn?" May said.

"What is it, May?" Dawn said.

A smirk came onto May's face. "I hope you practice hard for the upcoming contest, because I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Neither of us will," Drew said.

Dawn smiled, and nodded. "Don't worry you two, once I arrive, I'll be holding nothing back!"

"That's what I like to hear," May said. They then said their goodbyes and May and Drew then headed back to Johto.

"So, what do we do now?" Dawn said.

"Well, I'm feeling kind of hungry now," Ash said. He then gave Dawn a smirk. "Race ya to the food joint!" He then took off.

"We'll see about that, Ash Ketchum!" Dawn said as she ran after him.

Brock smiled while shaking his head. "Some things just never get old," he said as he ran after the two.

* * *

(A/N: And with that, the story is over. I must admit, I felt regret writing this last chapter, but I had to go along with the way I planned it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story. Now, for one last song. It's from KH2 and is called."Fantasia Alla Marcia for Piano, Chorus, and Orchestra." Funny how it sounds a lot like Pokemon. ;) )

Me – Umm, Pikette? Are you crying?

Pikette – That story was beautiful...

Me – So you're not mad I killed off your character?

Pikette – No, normally I would but at least you made me die in a good way.

Pikachu – Good thing it didn't really happen.

Pikette – Awe, Pikachu...

Me – Since it's on my mind, I'd like to give thanks to all those who have been reading my stories and gave good reviews. Also, I would like to thank Nintendo for making an amazing franchise. Also, I'd like to thank SquareEnix for making an awesome series known as Kingdom Hearts as well as Final Fantasy X, although I'm sure all the FF games are amazing. Harry Gregson-Williams, you never fail to disappoint and your music is amazing. And finally... actually I'm not sure what else to say but I will be starting Pokemon 3 very soon, so be ready for that. Until next time, this is FoxMcCloud7921 signing out!


End file.
